Return To Treasure Planet
by walleye
Summary: Jim Hawkins is kidnapped and taken back to Treasure Planet which was not destroyed as it was all a game. Flint is very much alive and wants the tech of the planet to make himself emperor but Jim controls the key map. It is up to Sarah Hawkins and Silver to rescue him. But the planet is not what it seems. This is a homage to Disney Parks and the ultimate crossover.
1. Bad News

Jim Hawkins' mother, Sarah Mary Anne Hawkins, smiled as she finished reading the latest letter from her son. It, like all the others before it, was filled with his excitement and wonder at his first space-faring voyage on his first ship, the HMS Annabelle Lee, after completing his studies at the Space Academy.

She was so proud of him. For a time she'd feared that he would turn out bad like his father, James Hawkins Senior, who had stormed out when the boy was only eight leaving her to raise him alone. Jim had been so full of rebellion and resentment towards his vanished father that at times she'd despaired that he'd ever end up in any place but prison.

Then had come that fateful night when like a genie granting a wish, the mechanical map to Treasure Planet had fallen into Jim's hands and only he could operate it. She had realized that as wild and crazy as it seemed this might be Jim's last chance to redeem himself and reluctantly she'd let him go at the urgings of Doctor Doppler who said he would supervise the boy carefully and keep him out of trouble.

But something had happened to Jim on that fateful trip to Treasure Planet. He'd left a lawbreaker and a rebel and thanks to of all things, a pirate named Long John Silver who had befriended him and showed him how all things were still possible, he'd returned filled with confidence and eager to join the Space Service. He'd even brought enough money to rebuild the Ben Bow Inn and only under heavy questioning had he revealed that the money came from Silver's share of the treasure and was a gift to her.

When she asked why a man she'd never met would pay for rebuilding the inn, Jim had shrugged and said that Long John Silver was a good man and his friend. It was Captain Amelia who in no uncertain terms told her that Silver had been a mutineer and formerly one of Flint's pirates and that if he ever showed up at Monteressa Space Port, more commonly known as the Crescent, the Admiralty would make sure he'd pay the price for his crimes. This was firmly confirmed by Doctor Doppler who most emphatically told her Silver probably had some plan which involved putting her in his debt and if he ever showed up she should call the police immediately.

That left even more questions. How could one person create so many contradictory opinions as to whom or what he was? Why would a man she'd never met befriend her? And why had he never enquired to see how the money had been spent or to explain the reasons for his gift? She sighed and inserted the letter into an electronic file folder that grew with each new missive.

These questions were ones she felt she'd probably never get an answer to. Like the one about what had happened to her husband to cause him to actually strike her when he came home after all those months. His attack had come as a terrible shock because there had been no hint of such a change of feelings in all the letters he'd written her.

There had been that period when the messages stopped for several months and no answers came to her increasingly frantic queries and then abruptly they resumed. He'd said he was recovering from an injury and was fine and the messages became more hopeful and intimate as time went on. The last message had gone on how beautiful she was and used lines that made her blush. Then they ceased for about a month.

She could still feel the love and hope that had surged in her heart when she saw him that evening outside their door. Hope and love that turned to horror when he struck her and demanded a divorce and custody of their son. The fight that had ensued when she had refused his demands for the boy, ended up with her getting control of his gun and ordering him out.

He'd sneered and said she didn't have the guts to shoot him. She'd proved him wrong when she shot off his left ear and he'd fled cursing her. The pain of that night was still fresh and strong in her after all these years. If he turned up tomorrow she'd probably shoot him down with the laser pistol she kept in the small writing desk by the door.

Sometimes in moments like these she wondered what had happened to all the plans she'd made as a young woman to explore the galaxy and sail on the great ships. How had it all come down to this?

It had all begun when in a fit of rebellion as a teenage girl against the restrictions of her parents, she'd married James Hawkins against their wishes. Before she knew it she was pregnant and then trying to raise her son on her own as her husband pursued his dreams among the stars. She had struggled to earn enough to keep her son clothed and fed, failing slowly as money just did not seem to come very quickly from James. Then her mother had died and left her a small inheritance even after she had sworn to cut her off for marrying James.

However her mother's estate had not left her a large inheritance, not quite enough to finance purchasing the inn and if she recalled right that was all the idea of Doctor Doppler who became a silent investor. Then after that horrible scene with her husband, she'd been left even more ensnared, having to take care of Jim who was scarred by his father's desertion and dealing with the collapse of all her dreams. Sometimes she had thought she should just sell the old inn and reclaim her former life, but then she realized that there was no life left to claim if she wanted to take care of her son and she'd never done so.

The door opened breaking into her reverie, and she smiled at Sally one of the frog-like aliens who was both the greeter and a maid as well as a confidant. At times she didn't know how she could get along without her. She was certainly better than that erratic robot friend of Jim's who had just vanished a couple of months ago without a word. "Yes, Sally?"

Sally wrung her hands together and a tear trembled in the corner of one eye. "You'd better come quick, Mum. It's Captain Amelia and Doctor Doppler and they say they must speak to you at once."

Mrs. Hawkins got to her feet and felt fear starting to rise. "Did they say what it was about?"

"No, they didn't, Mum. But I can tell from their faces that it's really, really bad." Sally followed her as Mrs. Hawkins picked up her skirts and hurried down the hall to the door where two figures could be seen standing, black shadows against the radiant sunlight outside.

It was indeed Doctor Doppler and his wife Captain Amelia. The Captain was almost crying and there were tears in the Doctor's eyes. Her heart began to pound as her worse fears made it almost impossible to speak. The Captain was holding a rolled letter tied with black lace and that meant only one thing to the mothers of service men and women.

The Captain removed the letter from its bindings and on unrolling it she began to read the horrible words. "Mrs. Hawkins, it is my sad duty to inform you of the death of your son." These were the only words she heard before she swooned into Sally's arms


	2. A Ghost From The Past

It was nearly a week before all the well-meaning mourners left her to her grief alone in the empty, echoing rooms of the Inn. Everything seemed to be wrapped in cotton like her feelings. She knew she was going to have to reopen the Inn and that her son would not have wanted her to hide herself here like some forgotten ghost from a life that no longer mattered. She knew that eventually she would get to her feet and her life would go on, but not Jim's.

It was almost midnight and the night was as black as the emptiness in her soul, blackness which rivaled that of space itself where Jim had died. What had the letter said? There'd been an accident on a run by the Annabelle Lee to the nearby nebula with the loss of all thirty souls when an anti-matter rock had struck the ship. Almost nothing had been left. The Admiralty was investigating, especially where an anti-matter rock had come from. It should've been impossible but it had happened and now Jim was gone.

There was a distant knock at the front door. She ignored it, expecting one of the servants to answer it. The knock came again, more persistent. "Sally?" She called and then she turned to the little floating alien who was hovering solicitously near her. "Morph, where's Sally?"

The little shape shifter who still had tears in his eyes shrugged and said something like. "No know."

She shook her head. She was really out of it. Sally was not available since she had sent all of the servants home, telling them to come back tomorrow and they would reopen the Inn. The knock came again, harder. Whoever it was would not take silence for an answer.

She sighed and got to her feet. As she neared the door she remembered what had greeted her last time. Nothing could be any worse than that. And if it was Death she might just welcome him. She opened the door and saw a black-cloaked, heavy-set figure as tall as she was. Outside it was raining and off in the distance lightning flashed and there was a distant peal of thunder.

"I'm sorry, but we're…." She didn't get any further before the black-cloaked figure stepped through the door and shut it quietly behind him. The rudeness of this man was unbelievable. "We are closed. Now leave or you can explain yourself to the constables."

"Ah, Lass, I'm afraid I can't do either." The voice was deep and rich and had the sound of the sea to it. "See, Lass, the bobbies and I have a difference of opinion over what's proper and what isn't which goes way back."

She felt the first stirrings of anger. She wanted him gone. "I don't care." She reached into the drawer in the reception stand and pulled out the laser pistol and pointed it at him. It's cocking made a sharp sound in the sudden stillness. "You will leave now."

She was interrupted by a shout of glee and down the hall Morph came flying. She stared dumbfounded as Morph swirled around the stranger making all sorts of excited squeaking sounds.

"Go on, Morphy. Cut it out, you crazy bit of protoplasm. I'm happy to see you too." The stranger had taken the little shape shifter in his hand and seemed to be stroking him. Morph purred like a cat.

She half lowered the gun. "Who are you?"

The stranger stepped over by the window and in a flash of lightning she could see him clearly for a moment. He had a mechanical peg leg, a cybernetic arm, and a mechanical eye all on his right side. That vision vanished as he hurriedly drew the curtains close, hindered by the over exuberant Morph. He held up a chiding finger which she could barely make out in the dark. "Now behave yourself, Morphy. I'm not here just to play with you."

She lit a candle and held it up. "Once again, sir. Who are you?" Her heart was pounding. She was afraid she knew.

He looked surprised as if he had forgotten her and turned to the dancing shape shifter. "Now, Morphy you rascal, look at what you've done, you've gone and made me forget my manners with a lady present."

He used the cybernetic arm with its multitude of flickering mechanical fingers to sweep off his hat and make a bow. "Long John Silver at your service, Mrs. Hawkins." He was a heavy-set man with a two-tone face and in his ear a gold ring flashed.

"Silver?" She lowered the gun. "Are you the man who befriended my son?"

"Guilty as charged, Ma'm." He cuddled the happy Morph against his chin. "There, there, Morphy. I missed you too."

She started to reach for the light switch but suddenly Morph was in her way, blocking her. "Morph, let me turn the lights on." She protested.

Silver replaced his hat and glanced at the window. "I'm sorry, Ma'm, but the last thing we need here is lights. The candle is dangerous enough." He glanced around and said softly. "I suspect this house is being watched and if them that's watching saw me here it'd go bad for ye and maybe for Jimbo."

She felt her heart skip a beat. "Jim's dead." She managed to speak without bursting into tears and didn't know whether she should be proud of that or disgusted with herself.

Her eyes had adjusted more to the lack of light and she could make out his features and they were filled with concern as he shook his head. "No, Jimbo is still alive and will be only as long as they that haves him finds him useful to them and both of us getting ourselves killed will do poor Jimbo not a particle of good. Come, let's go to an interior room with no windows and I'll tell you what I've learned."

"No!" She shot back. "You claim Jim is still alive and I'll hear proof of that before I go one step anywhere with a man I don't know even if he claims to be my son's long-lost friend." She was not aware of it raising it but her pistol was pointing at him again.

He did not seem to be upset by this. If anything she got the impression that he approved of her caution. He looked at the little shape shifter and sighed. "Just like Jimbo, Morph. And why should that surprise us? He's her son."

He reached into his side pocket and plucked out a folded paper. He looked over at her. "This is a pulse-gram from Jim on the Annabelle Lee. I got back in touch with him through the mail two years ago and we've been sharing tall tales ever since."

"He never told me." She blurted out.

He sighed. "I told Jimbo he could trust you but he didn't want to chance the Doctor and Captain finding out as there's still a noose waiting for me." He looked again at the letter. "As I said I got several letters from Jimbo, what's different with this one is that it's dated the day he was supposed to have died and three hours after the Admiralty says the ship was destroyed." He handed it to her.

She took the paper and opened it and her mind reeled. The phrasing was all her son's and the date was as Silver had said, the day her son had died. She read it and became more convinced that this had been written by her son. It was a typical breezy account of his activities on his newly assigned ship. It ended abruptly almost in mid-sentence as if he'd been interrupted.

The time entry confirmed that and the new time code when he began writing was almost three hours later. Scrawled in capital letters he had written. IT'S FLINT. HE'S KIDNAPPING ME TO USE THE KEY. GET… The last code was the burst date of the last hyperspace message the Annabelle Lee would ever send. Her eyes filled with tears. "He's alive." She whispered and then more forcefully. "He's alive!"

"That he is." Long John replied. "Jimbo was a smart one, he was. Some how he got free of his captors on the Lee for a moment and managed to send this message to my private box. By sending that message he warned me that it was Flint who scuttled the Annabelle Lee and that Flint had the key. And that makes things even worse since Flint is not dead like we thought."

She frowned. "I remember Jim left here with the map to Treasure Planet, I don't recall any key."

He sighed and rubbed his head. "I was wrong about many things on that cursed voyage, Mrs. Hawkins, but none worse than assuming that little golden sphere was only a map. It turned out to be a key that unlocked a door allowing you to step into any world clear across the galaxy. Doctor Doppler once remarked in my hearing that he thought that the key was a wormhole maker."

He shrugged. "Not being a learned man like the good Doctor, I can't say if he was right or not. But that's not what's important. What's important is that for some reason only Jimbo could operate it and because of that Flint needs him. He's the last person Flint would want dead."

"He's alive." She whispered. Then more resolutely. "My son's alive!" He nodded and was caught by surprise as she strode by him. "Come, Mister Silver. You wanted a private conversation and that's what we'll have."

The only room with no windows was the kitchen. Once there she poured him a cup of coffee still hot from where it had sat on the stove. "Thank you, Ma'm." He took the cup sniffed it, shrugged, and set it aside. "Sorry, but I'm not really a fan of pure coffee." He turned and hung his dripping rain gear on a hook on the wall.

"I didn't think you were." She replied. She reached up to a shelf and brought down a bottle of whiskey used in cooking and poured a couple of jiggers in his abandoned cup. He smiled, took the cup and this time drank it. He raised an eyebrow as she poured at least three jiggers in her own cup and then he smiled as she downed it. "I knew you were a lady who knew what was what." He said before he finished his cup.

"Now tell me. What's happened to Jim?" She said as she ignored the burn of the whiskey in her stomach.

He leaned forward. "Jimbo is alive but maybe not as well as we would like." He looked at her with a flash of agitation. "That's because them that has him are some of the worst scum that ever sailed under the Jolly Roger and I should know, some were ship mates of mine."

"I know you're a pirate." She said. "I was told that repeatedly by Jim and the others."

He grimaced. "I'm no longer a pirate, Mrs. Hawkins. I've been retired these last five years and been practicing the merchant trade. Your son convinced me I could do better." He shook his head and said softly. "Your son is quite a man, Mrs. Hawkins."

She nodded and leaned forward. "You say that it's Flint and his gang of pirates that kidnapped Jim. How can Flint still be alive? Jim said he saw his body when he told the Admiralty what had happened."

Silver shook his head. "I'm sorry but Jimbo never saw a body. What he saw was a skeleton. Nathaniel Flint had a brother, Dago Flint, just as bloody as he, but unfortunately for Dago, Nathaniel didn't want to share his treasure with anyone, including his dear brother. I am assuming it was Dago's skeleton that we both saw."

She poured herself more whiskey and then handed him the bottle with its two remaining jiggers in it. With a nod he tipped it back and finished it off. She burped but didn't bother to excuse herself. What did manners matter when your guest was a pirate? "But why would they kidnap Jim? Treasure Planet was destroyed so there's no gold unless they want to pan for it in the floating rubble and the key as you call it was destroyed."

Morph dropped into her cup and made the liquid vanish. She stared at him as he lay in the cup and burped. "Bad boy, Morphy." Silver chided him and then returned his gaze to hers. "We should all have remembered that Treasure Planet and the key were all based on a science that looks like magic to us. As soon as I got Jim's message, I sent a space probe from my trading ship the Mary Anne to the last known coordinates of Treasure Planet." He swallowed. "The pictures I got back showed that Treasure Planet looks just like it did when we first got there, pure and untouched. I'm betting the key is fine too."

"What else did you see? Did you look for Jim?" She leaned forward eager for his answer. Below her in her cup Morph snoozed happily.

Silver looked uncomfortable. "I'm afraid Flint became aware of my inquisitiveness. There was a bright flash from the surface and the probe ceased transmitting." He grimaced. "I was probably lucky to see as much as I did. It was then I remembered that the transmissions of a probe can be followed back like a hound on a scent. I barely had time to get off the Mary Anne before a shot from out of nowhere ripped her from stem to stern. Flint is no one to be trifled with."

"We have to inform the Admiralty." She said. "They'll put a stop to Flint."

He held up a hand. "We can't or at least I can't. All they know about me is that I'm a pirate with a price on my head. They'll tell you I'm trying to con you and take your money. The message having come from my hands will mean nothing to them."

She stood. "First thing in the morning I'll go see the authorities. They'll listen to me!"

"Will they now?" He asked. "Or will they consider you as being overwrought and pat your hand and send you packing? I'm afraid we'll have no help from them."

"We'll see." She replied. "Shall I show you to a room for the night?"

"I think Morph and I will be safer here. Besides I'm a cook and kitchens as ship shape as this one make me feel right at home." He yawned. "I'm about ready to join little Morph in his cup."

"Your choice." She replied. I'll get you some blankets and pillows. There's no need to sleep on the cold stone floors." She hurried out of the room.

Silver leaned back in his chair and confided to the sleeping Morph. "Now Morphy, there goes a lady if I ever met one, but I think she'll find rough seas ahead, that I do."

Rough seas were a small description of what was about to happen as a video message flashed from an unseen ship in orbit to a familiar ringed planet. "So, you found him." A mechanical voice growled. "It's about time. Now, that you've located him, finish it."

"There may be a bigger prize, sir. Remember you said you wanted to be informed if he ran into her. Well, he has. They're both in the same inn, but there's a problem. The shields around the spaceport are interfering with our weapons. It'll take time to create a hole in them, unless you want us to go in shooting like last time."

"No. That damned Silver has more lives than a cat. Is the bug on him still active?"

"We think so, sir. It's the shield problem again."

"All right. When you get the window you need, shoot and damn the consequences."

One of the senders of the message looked at his companions. "That's easy for him to say. He doesn't have to fight the damn Admiralty if they get wind of this."

They didn't know that their conversation had just been monitored. A technician in a grey shirt and pants said. "That was the end of the transmission, my lord. Do you need to hear it again?"

"No need. I've heard enough." A man in a black cloak with the hood pulled over his head so that his face couldn't be seen turned to look at the man in black armor on his right. "Everything falls out as I've foreseen."

"Yes, my master." The man in black armor replied. "Soon everyone will acknowledge your power and you will rule the galaxy forever."

However, even they were being watched and a being who was not a living being but yet not a machine either shook its head. The great game had begun and whoever won would determine the fate of Treasure Planet.


	3. Decisions

The next day by the time she'd been fobbed off on five different officers at the Admiralty she realized they were treating her like someone that should be locked up. A hysterical, bereaved mother, grasping at straws was what she could see in their eyes.

The last officer was a beanpole of a man with a thin black mustache and a monocle set above his sneering lips and he was the worse. It was obvious he was a member of the new nobility and proud of his looks and clothing as he kept straightening his coat and glancing at a mirror he had on his desk. She could almost see the price tags on the fine garments he kept flaunting.

"My dear lady." He said as he got up from behind his desk and hitched his coat again. "You should not be out on the streets in your condition." He leered at her. "I would be glad to escort you home and offer you some comforting."

She shuddered as she imagined him trying to comfort the grieving mother. "No thank you." She said coldly as she reached for the door knob.

He caught her other hand and patted it. "Yes, I'd be glad to escort you." He tried to kiss it and looked surprised when she jerked it back.

"You're no gentleman and a disgrace to your uniform." She snarled.

"And you are no lady. Go home, shoot up, and take a long nap." He snapped back.

In response she'd slapped him so hard that his monocle had gone flying and it hadn't even stopped bouncing before she stormed out the door, knocking the silver letters spelling out "Colonel Percival Thrushbottom, ESQ" to the floor.

Silver had been right she realized and was now glad that she had not even mentioned his name. If she had with that prig in charge, Silver would probably be locked away right now awaiting trial for piracy. And they'd even kept the message, the last one from her son.

She was pushing her way through the crowds when Morph flew up and began making excited motions for her to follow him. She decided she'd better humor him before they drew more than their share of surprised stares. He led her through the booths to a canal where ships waited to be dry docked and repairs made.

Silver was waiting her leaning against a lock wall. He was wearing a white cook's apron, shirt, and hat which he'd donned as a disguise as if he were a cook's assistant going to market and had left his other gear back at the Inn. "How did it go, lass?" He asked. Her angry glare made him shake his head. "That bad, eh?"

"What do they have for brains?" She snapped. "Swiss cheese?"

He chuckled. "I always told Jimbo that they had vacuum between their ears. Everything is sucked in and nothing comes out."

She began striding down the canal path. "Now what do we do?"

He fell into step with her. "I have some money saved up. The Mary Anne was insured and I'll borrow against the settlement. I should be able to hire out a schooner and I know some old friends who'd love to go to Treasure Planet. Morphy and I'll go and find Jimbo and try and get him out of Flint's clutches."

"You're talking about pirate friends, aren't you?"

"Some." He admitted. "But they are not like Mister Scroop was. But they do have military experience and I'm going to need that."

"If you're taking a small army you're going to need more than a two master." She said.

He shrugged. "We make do with what we have. After all most roamers of the stars started out with less than schooners before they took their first prize; I mean made their first successful trade deal."

"Come on." She said. "The Admiralty warned me this was confidence game, but I…"

She was surprised when he caught her arm, stopped her, and turned her to face him. For the first time she saw anger in his eyes. "Long John Silver may be many things, woman, but he does not purloin money from women and children. I'm not a confidence man. Unlike what those idiots back there may've told you."

She gently removed his hand from her elbow and smiled at him. "No, you're a pirate." She patted his hand. "And according to Jim the most honest man he ever met. That's good enough for me. Now come on. As I started to say I have some jewels at the bank. They should help."

Back at the Inn Sally found Silver's cloak hanging on its nail in the kitchen. She gathered it up to put in the closet where it belonged and something metallic fell out of it. She picked it up and frowned. It looked like a small disk for a music player. It was to be her last thought.

"He's on the move." An unseen watcher called out. "And there's a woman in range. Damn this shielding, but I think it's her. Fire as soon as you can."

Silver and Mrs. Hawkins were climbing the hill from the bank to the Inn when the sky above the hill erupted in a silver beam that caressed the Inn for a moment just before the building exploded in a fireball. By the time they reached the Ben Bow Inn most of the building was in flames. Silver cursed and swore. "Flint, you murdering swine." He turned to her. Now you know why I didn't want to show a light last night."

But she wasn't there as she was already running through the door calling for Sally. He cursed and ran after her. The room was filled with smoke and flames were running up the stairwell by the time he got there.

"Mrs. Hawkins, where are you?" He shouted. His mechanical eye switched back and forth between optical modes as it sought any sign of her. Morph whistled and pointed wildly towards the stairs. It was then he saw her staggering down the stairwell, dragging a limp form after her, and coughing from the smoke.

He shot out a tentacle from his mechanical arm and jerked them down the stairs and into his arms just as the ceiling let go. He leaped clear and crashed through the door with the two under his arms.

He rolled the other woman's body over and leaned his ear to her chest to listen for a heartbeat. He heard nothing.

Mrs. Hawkins coughed and leaned over. "How is Sally?"

He raised his head and shook it slowly. "It's not good, lass. I don't think she made it." He pointed to a long fragment of wood sticking out of the dead woman's side.

"No!" Mrs. Hawkins put her hands to her mouth. "No!" She pushed him aside and started doing CPR.

He cocked his head as the sound of sirens filled the air. "I've got to go, Mrs. Hawkins. If you want me, I can be found at the Inn of the One-Eyed Sailor." He paused a moment. "I truly am sorry for the loss of your friend. Come on, Morph." He and Morph vanished over the other side of the hill as the fire trucks landed all around her.

It was only later that night sitting and staring at the fire in her room in a strange inn and still hurting from Sally's death and the pain she'd seen in Sally's parent's eyes that another emotion began to grow in her. It was rage.

She had lived in her sweet cocoon of a life long enough. And all she'd gotten for it was misery. She'd lost her son to Flint and she was sure that in some way Flint was responsible for Sally's death too.

All her life she'd been trudging in paths set for her by others, her mother, her husband, Jim and his needs, and the expectations of people like Doctor Doppler. It was time to kick over the traces. She was only forty, not dead. It was then she swore she'd have her revenge and get her son back or die trying. Meek Sarah Mary Anne Hawkins had sat down, but it was a determined and angry woman who got to her feet. Flint was going to pay. Oh, he was going to pay.

Two days later the Inn of the One-Eyed Sailor was not hard to find, but she could see it was a rough place and she kept her hand on the butt of the laser pistol as she came through the door. Silver and Morph were seated by the fireplace facing the door and he waved her over.

Another sailor started to step in front of her and reached out to grasp her arm as she started to draw the pistol, but a grey alien over eight feet tall and with four tentacles as arms gently dissuaded him while Morph bounced around them. "One of yours?" She asked Silver after she had seated herself.

"Aye. Orfeo is a good, loyal mate." He looked at her. "Did you bring the jewels?"

"I brought much more than that." She drew a pouch out from a pocket in her cloak and dropped it with a thud in front of him.

He frowned and opened the pouch. His eyes got wide as he saw the sheaves of high denomination bills. "What's this?" He whispered.

She leaned back in her chair and smiled at him. "Like you, I borrowed on the insurance settlement from a loan shark. This should get us a good ship with heavy laser cannons and more crew."

"We?" He said softly. Behind him a snake wiggled out of the screen work above the fireplace. It was viper. It dangled downward with its tongue flickering.

In one motion she drew and shot the snake so that it fell in two pieces on the table and they both watched as Morph turned himself into a broom and dustpan and removed it, whistling.

"Yes, we." She smiled. "It should be an interesting trip."


	4. Choosing a Ship

The shipyards of the Crescent spaceport were busy as ever. The sounds of sawing and hammering filled the air. Over head the small flyers which resembled pterodactyls glided in slow circles. She smiled to herself. It was as busy as she remembered it and with just as many crooks as she remembered if not more. She jabbed a sharp elbow in the face of the man trying to insert his fingers in her pocket. He reeled back cursing and was scooped up by Orfeo and flung into the canal.

"This is a dangerous place for ye, Mrs. Hawkins." Silver said as he rammed his peg leg into the foot of a woman trying to lift his sword. He sent her on her way with a swift kick from his good foot. "I wish you'd reconsider and let me do the searching for a good vessel."

"And I have no doubt you'd find us a fine one. It's just that we need the best if we're going to take on Flint." She looked up at a sign which read HOBARTHS. "We're here."

He stared at the wreck filled yard with its broken hulls and masts. "Here? Ma'm, the only thing we're going to find here is trouble." Orfeo snorted as if in agreement. Morph looked worried.

A young turtle shelled alien about five feet tall glided up to them. "Welcome to Hobarths. We have the finest ships on the Crescent."

Silver frowned at him. "Then where are you hiding them?"

"Sir makes a jest of course." The alien stepped over to a three master. "Here is a hot model which was taken out by an elderly lady only on Sundays."

Silver kicked the side of the ship and put his peg leg through it. He pulled it out with a grunt. "It's got dry rot." He turned. "Let's get out of here before he picks our pockets."

"Wait, Mister Silver." She said and turned to the offended salesman. "I know well the reputation of Hobarths. It does have the finest ships but only for a select clientele. I wish to speak to your grandfather, Jeborah Hobarth."

"Madam, he does not just see anyone. Who shall I tell him is inquiring?" He huffed.

She drew herself up. "Tell him that Sarah Mary Anne Gladstone, daughter of Helen Gladstone, wishes to buy one of his best."

He swallowed hard. "Helen Gladstone? Forgive me, my lady. I did not know. I will inform Grandpa." He turned and rushed away into the dark office.

"Helen Gladstone? Not the Helen Gladstone of Gladstone Ship Designers and Builders?" Silver said softly.

"The same and my mother." She replied. "I wasn't always a Hawkins."

Silver wiped his brow. "Morphy boy, straighten yourself up. We're in the presence of royalty." He made an exaggerated bow in her direction which Morph imitated. "Forgive us for doubting. You can help meself find a ship anytime." Morph and Orfeo exchanged some remarks and then the four tentacles went up and down in laughter. Orfeo tipped one at her in a salute.

"All right, boy." A querulous old voice said. "Let's see if this was worth interrupting my nap for." An ancient turtle alien, about four feet tall as if he had been shrunken by age stood before them with a long, flowing white beard. He leaned forward on his cane and looked at them and then disregarded them all as irrelevant except for her. He stared and then put on a pair of wire glasses. He squinted again. "Sarah? Sarah Mary Anne?"

"Yes, Jeborah. Though it's been twenty five years, your mind is as sharp as ever."

He took her hand. "By the Nebula it's you all grown up, and did you become a grand one. I was sorry to hear about your mother's passing. You have my condolences."

She swallowed as she remembered what she could never recapture and replied. "Thank you. I miss her every day and am reminded of her whenever I see a ship she designed and built."

"As do I, child, as do I." He took her by the hand and strode down the aisles between the ships. "Let's get out of this bunko trap and get you fitted with a real ship."

"Morphy, she's a real lady." Silver said quietly. "Kick me a real hard one if I ever act a bigger fool than I just did." Morph nodded and whistled something that sounded like 'gladly.' Orfeo just chuckled.

"Now, why don't you tell me what you need one of my poor ships for? As that'll tell me what I can fit you with." Jeborah gestured down a long row of ships. "As you see we have a large enough selection to satisfy even the most discriminate tastes."

Silver whistled softly. "Morphy, I think we're in heaven." Morph bounced around excitedly and made happy sounds.

"If I could afford it, Jeborah, I'd be asking for a four master with at least ten guns." Jim's mother replied. "As it is, I'll settle for something less."

Jeborah frowned. "This is no lark you're on is it? It's personal." He leaned back and shook his cane at her. "Come on, girl, tell me what's going on."

She didn't reply for a moment and then said softly. "I have a son, Jeborah, who just graduated from the academy. He never finished his first voyage because." She paused and swallowed. "He was kidnapped and not for ransom but for something he knows and when they get it, he's as good as dead." She gestured towards the ships. "I need a ship with speed and the ability to fight because I'm going to free him or if I'm too late, then I will hang Flint from my highest yardarm."

"Flint!" Jeborah's eyes got larger. "Is that devil still alive?"

"Aye, he's still alive." Silver said. "I've the wreckage of my own ship as proof after he hit it with one of his devil's own beams and Mrs. Hawkins' inn is in ruins because of him. It was his brother Dago who died and not him."

The old alien grinned and there was nothing friendly about it. "Flint alive. It's the answer to my prayers." He frowned and put his wrist to his mouth. "Jedrick and Shedrith, Protocol 13, immediately."

"Yes, grandfather." Said a voice out of the air and a transparent golden shield sprang up over the shipyard.

"Come!" He turned and moved towards the office and no longer did he seem to hobble along. He nearly ran. He held the door open for them. "Inside. We need to debug you." He followed them in and called out. "Jedrick, what do the scans say?"

"Clean, grandfather." The voice replied.

"Shedrith, bring a wand. Let's make sure." He said as he waved towards a desk with several chairs. "Just stand a moment while we check you." A young blonde woman alien with a silver turtle shell came out of a side room and ran a softly beeping stick with flashing lights over them.

"They're clear, grandfather." She said.

"Bring some refreshments." He told her and then turned to his guests. "I apologize for the rudeness, but I've dealt with that devil Flint before. He's not stupid and when you told me that he seemed to know where you were, I feared the worst. Just sit down and tell me the whole story." While Silver and Mrs. Hawkins recited their tales, he sat behind the deck with his hands together just below his chin.

After they were done, he said. "It worries me that Flint seemed to know where you were." He looked at Silver. "My guess is that when Flint destroyed your ship that something else rode in on the beam and attached itself to you as the only thing alive and that's why he knew where you were. You were right to think someone was following you. They were. He wanted to see whom you'd contact and when you went to the inn, his worst fears were realized. But why is there no bug on you now? Did you leave something behind when you came here?"

Silver looked over at Mrs. Hawkins and said. "I carry my kit on me at all times. I left nothing at the One-Eyed Sailor last night or when I left the Inn to follow Mrs. Hawkins to the Admiralty. Did I, Mrs. Hawkins?"

"It seems you had something else with you the night you came." Sarah said. "But I can't remember what it was."

Silver frowned and then looked over at Morph. "Morphy, can you think of anything? Because I can't"

Morph tweedled excitedly at him, emitting a long stream of syllables while he bounced up and down. Silver looked perplexed. "Morphy, I don't understand. Something about a bloke?"

Orfeo rapped one of his four tentacles on the table, drawing their attention. "The little one says you left your cloak in the kitchen to dry. He knows because he spent the night cuddling in its folds, found something metallic and almost ate it. He remembers it burned his tongue when he bit it." He lapsed back into silence as Morph excitedly cuddled him.

"I never knew you could make out Morph's gibberish." Silver said.

Orfeo shrugged. "You never asked." Morph chirped happily.

"Morphy, you little devil, you just may've saved all our lives." Silver exclaimed. Morph blushed.

The old alien smiled. "Indeed, I think he did and that means if we keep quiet and make preparations on the sly, Flint will never know we're coming."

"We?" Silver asked. "Aren't you a bit old for climbing the riggings?"

The old one smiled. "If you'd asked me even a century ago, you could not have kept me from going." He sighed and leaned back. "Some of my grandchildren and great grandchildren will go in my place. For you see this family has a blood oath to keep."

His eyes blazed. "On one of the last raids that Flint ever did, he burned one of our company ships and laughed as he shot all the lifeboats down in flames. On that day he killed four of my eldest children." He stood. "We will have vengeance. This I swear." He turned towards the door. "Come let's pick a suitable arrow for our quiver."

As the others went down the rows looking at the ships, Jeborah dropped back besides Silver. "I know you sailed with Flint at one time, sir, and if I thought you'd been there on that fateful day you'd not leave here alive. But I also know how you became a cyborg and I believe you want to kill Flint and his Dark Man as much as I do. Is that not so?"

"Aye." Silver said. "But not a word to the young lady. It's best that some things stay dark and quiet I'm thinking."

"Agreed. Aha, I think she's found what she's looking for."

She came running back a huge smile on her face. "John, I found it." She grabbed Silver by his mechanical hand and pulled him down the line until they stopped before a four master painted black and with a low slung keel indicating she was built for speed. Its wood gleamed and every line shouted her speed. "I think she's perfect." Sarah breathed.

Silver looked up and down the ship and smiled. "Let's test her." He fired a beam from his cybernetic arm. The wood absorbed the beam, glowed, and then spat it back at him. He barely had time to throw up a shield before he was thrown back by the impact. "By all the saints." He exclaimed as he got back to his knees.

"Ironwood from Dell in the Scanborn system." Jeborah declared. "It'll bounce laser fire right back at you. It's the densest and lightest material in the universe and perfect for warships which is why Her Majesty has declared it the royal property of the Crown." He grinned. "If you won't tell Her Majesty about this, I certainly won't."

"She has eight guns and four masts, John. She's built for speed and has the latest high tech." Sarah's eyes were shining.

Silver tipped his hat back and whistled softly as he took her in. "What's the lady's name?"

She pointed to the figurehead of a woman holding a sword. "Ariel's Sword of Vengeance. You should've heard of Ariel."

"Oh yes." He said. "I've heard of her. She was the greatest free spirit of all the freebooter captains and destroyed a pirate fleet at Tordeen when they went back on their word to her." He looked at her with concern. "But can we afford her?"

Jeborah coughed. "She's on loan. Use your money to outfit and crew her. Bring her back and with Flint's head and we'll be square."

"And if we don't come back?" She asked.

"Then I'll mourn ye." He replied.

The metallic voice back on Treasure Planet was not pleased with the results of the failed attack. One of his minions asked. "Do you want us to send a party and hunt them down?"

"With the Admiralty on full alert now? No, you fool. Until they get off the planet we don't dare touch them."

"Yes, sir. Especially with Hobarths involved. That's one mean group of turtles. But that also means there's a weakness. One of the younger Hobarths has been running up a gambling debt to buddies of mine and he might be persuaded to help us in exchange for forgiveness. It won't be much help but we can get one assassin aboard before they sail."

The mechanical voice growled. "Do it. I want her dead. She could ruin all my careful plans."

One of the thugs looked at the other. "Who are you going to get? We don't have time to contact the Assassin's Guild."

"Don't worry. I know of someone and he'll never know who contacted him. We've used him before. He acts like a fool but he's quite effective."


	5. Selecting a Crew

Jeborah led them back inside and proposed they have dinner with him while they discussed how to crew the Ariel and while dinner was being prepared he led them on a tour of his galleries of art. He was quite proud of his collection and described each painting and statue in such exquisite detail that a bored Silver looking down at a sleeping Morph half hanging out of his shirt pocket muttered to him. "I envy you, Mophy. I really do." He got an almost silent 'shush' from Mrs. Hawkins as his reward.

"And this is my prize exhibit." Jeborah pointed at a statue of a half nude woman with no arms. "I had to bid a million pounds to take this one. They say it came from humanity's home world."

"Would it have been two million if it still had both arms?" Silver inquired.

Mrs. Hawkins hid a smile behind her hand as Jeborah huffed up and then the old one broke down laughing. He placed a hand on Silver's shoulder. "You, Long John Silver, are the first to ever point that out and remind me that art is only in the eye of the beholder." He looked up as a faint bell chimed. "Ah, I see dinner is ready. Let us retire and enjoy what my chef has prepared." He led them down a hall to a candle-lit table with four plates set.

A variety of courses were offered and enjoyed with a busy staff clearing the finished one and returning with the new offering. Only one interruption occurred when Bourgan Beast Stew was served. Silver took one taste and frowned. He put his spoon down. This caused Jeborah to inquire. "Is there a problem, Mister Silver?"

"I know each chef has his own take on a famous recipe but this one is missing the Rose Garlic from Steven's world." Silver informed Jeborah.

"And how the blazes would you, a pirate, know that?" Jeborah snapped.

Silver got a very cool look in his eyes and he tensed. He was about to reply when his dinner companion interrupted as she told Jeborah. "My son Jim didn't talk much about the time he spent with his friend here on the RLS Legacy, but one thing he did rave about was the meals that Long-John Silver served on that voyage. Jim said he could even make hardtack taste like a meal fit for a king. My son swore that Silver had the makings of a first class chef so you might want to listen to his opinions."

Jeborah looked at her and then at Silver. He drummed his fingers on the table before he said to one of the servants. "Fetch the chef." As the waiter left he said coolly. "We will see what type of cook you are, Mister Silver."

"I don't need this." Silver snapped as he started to get to his feet.

He stopped as Mrs. Hawkins lay a hand on his where it pressed against the table. "Patience, John. Jeborah means no insult and I'm sure that you had lots of pirates complain about what you cooked or they threw it back at you. Didn't they?" She smiled and patted his hand again. "Just sit, please."

He smiled at her. "They certainly did." He nodded to Jeborah. "Sir, you have my apology. It's been years since I cooked in the grand restaurants at the Galaxy Center and I seem to have misplaced my manners."

Jeborah nodded and then frowned. "Did you really cook at the Center?"

"Many, many years ago." Silver replied as he sat. "It may be that me memory has gotten faulty."

The waiter returned followed by a being with twelve tentacles and a long black drooping mustache that looked odd against his pale-green skin. "Chef Pierret as requested, Sir."

"What is the problem? The meal too cold? I will have the busboy cashiered for this." The Chef said as he stood there with his tentacles on his hips.

Jeborah waved a hand. "No, no, Chef Pierret. The temperature was just as right as always. There is a question about the Bourgan Beast Stew. One of my guests thinks an ingredient was omitted."

"Which ingredient? I follow the old recipe handed down from my ancestors exactly."

Mrs. Hawkins replied before Silver could. "I believe it was the Rose Garlic from Stevens World. Wasn't it, John?"

Silver smiled a little bit inside. The lady was standing together with him and deflecting the budding wrath of the Chef. "Yes, it was."

The Chef frowned. "The Rose Garlic, madam? Leaving that out would be a disaster." He picked up a spoon and turned to his patron. "With your permission, Sir, I would sample the dish called into question."

Jeborah waved his hand in permission and they all watched with fascination as the Chef dipped a spoon in the stew and sucked it in with no sound. He swirled the liquid around in his mouth and abruptly his eyes got large. He sputtered and quickly picked up a napkin from the table and wiped his mouth and then bowed to Jeborah. "Sir, your guests are quite correct. The Rose Garlic is indeed missing. Since I am in charge of the kitchens and all that goes on there, you will of course have my resignation immediately."

Jeborah looked from the Chef to Silver and then back again. "I, of course, exercise my rights to refuse your resignation, Chef. Just see to it that it doesn't happen again."

The Chef bowed. "Thank you, Sir. It most certainly will not happen again." He strode from the room with an angry look in his eyes.

Silver leaned over and whispered to Mrs. Hawkins. "I'd not want to be the sub-Chefs back there right now."

She grinned and patted his hand. "Now, wasn't that better than walking out?"

Before he could reply Jeborah said. "Mister Silver, you also have my apology. It seems age is not a guarantee against making a fool of one's self."

Silver grinned. "It's all right, Sir. I've just developed discriminating tastes over the years."

"Indeed." Jeborah replied. If you ever want a job as a chef you only have to apply here." He shook himself. "A most interesting night, but that brings us back to the original reason for this dinner. The selection of a crew."

Mrs. Hawkins smiled at Silver. "I hope you don't intend to bring a crew like you had on the RLS Legacy. That would make for an interesting voyage."

"No." He replied. "We need a different crew but we still need men and women capable of fighting because Flint will be armed to the teeth. Besides, I know of only two or three ex-pirates who when confronted with all that gold would not act like, well like pirates."

"In that we think alike." Jeborah said. "What would be perfect would be a troop of Her Majesty's Royal Marines who also knew how to sail. But, since we don't have that I will have to supply the next best thing."

"Ah, you mean one of your merchant marine companies." Mrs. Hawkins said.

"Indeed, I do. But not a company. I'm caught with most of my companies on my other ships and no time to recall any of them. What I have is a group sent back for refitting, a platoon under an experienced sergeant." He replied.

She turned to Silver. "Jeborah was the first to insist his crews be made up of two groups with one able to fight militarily as well as sail. It made for a very lethal combination. What none of his competitors could ever figure out was how the crew handled the divided command responsibilities of fighting and trading so smoothly."

Silver nodded. "The word amongst pirates was that the ships with the flying turtle insignia were to be avoided at all costs. Only Flint ever dared and brought it off using his Treasure Planet technology. He looked over at Jeborah. "You said they were refitting. I take it they are not at full strength."

Jeborah sighed. "They are missing all their gunners, and several all-purpose yard-arm workers. The gunners I can supply for four of the guns from among my family. The remaining four you'll have to find with your recruiting, along with a helmsman, a star-drive engineer, a communications specialist, an environmental expert, and about fifteen yard arm rats."

Silver grinned. "I can come up with a helmsman. Mister Orfeo who came here with us is excellent in that calling. He's no longer a pirate and took the oath before the Queen's representative. You can count on him. The drive engineer and a gunner I think I can supply for they are the same person. Mister Balone is a Dronian who was a former pirate who went with me to Treasure Planet last time. I say former because according to the Dronian laws he had his mind washed for his crimes of piracy."

"And is he still any good as an engineer?" Jeborah asked. "I hear that the washing his people do their criminals cures them but leaves a train wreck behind in their minds."

Silver shrugged. "He was the best gunner and engineer I ever knew and if he's half as good as he was then he'll be better than anyone else you could find. Besides, there's no way he could ever become a pirate again."

Jeborah considered this for a moment and nodded. "All right, we'll try them. The rest will be filled by my agents and I can guarantee that you will only find honest sailors among them."

Silver frowned. "They'd better also be prepared to fight. Or they'll do us no good against Flint and his gang. And on another note, how are we going to handle the divided command problems that Mrs. Hawkins mentioned?"\

Jeborah sighed. "I'm tired and I think we can cover that better tomorrow morning after you meet the platoon." He rose to his feet. "I'll bid you good night. My servants will show you to your quarters."

As they walked down the hall, Sarah Hawkins asked. "Are you as sure of the Dronian as you sounded? At the piracy trials he acted like a stereotype pirate." Scenes of the purple being built like a small dragon came to mind as he yelled. 'I kill you!' at her son on the witness stand.

Silver paused by his door which was just across from hers and said solemnly. "He and I are bonded. I'd trust him with my life." He made a quick bow, sweeping off his hat. "Good night, Mrs. Hawkins."

She nodded back. "Good night, Mister Silver." She closed her door and looked around the room. "I hope you're right because I may be trusting my life to him too."


	6. Sergeant Like a Rock

The next morning after breakfast Jeborah took them to the barracks to meet the platoon. They were met at the door by a creature much like a praying mantis. He saluted Jeborah and after the introductions were made he saluted both of them. "My name is Wolf Culbertson, sergeant in command of this bunch of backsliders. I can tell you we're all going to be glad to have some action. No offense, Mister Jeborah."

"None taken, sergeant." Jeborah waved his hand as if brushing something away. "Why don't you introduce them to the rest of your men and get them acquainted with the fire power of this platoon." He nodded towards Mrs. Hawkins and Silver. "I'll see you two at lunch and you will of course join us Sergeant." He ambled away humming to himself.

"How many men do you have and what type of fire power do you have, Sergeant." Silver asked.

"We have twenty-five fighters able and ready to go, sir. Ten others are under medical care as a result of our last mission and will have to be left behind. As to fire power, each person has two laser pistols and assorted fragmentation grenades and carries four recharge cells. Each squad is equipped with one two-man laser with four power packs, a sniper laser rifle, and a rapid fire laser machine gun holding several hundred shot bursts. Since there are four squads there are four large lasers and four machine guns. That does not include the special weapons detail which consists of three specialists trained in AMWs."

"AMWs?" Mrs. Hawkins asked.

"Sorry, Madam." He replied tipping one pincher to his forehead. "AMW stands for Anti-Matter Weapon. There are ten AMWs. Each one equivalent to one small nuke and capable of being launched at 0.3 light speed. They can be programmed to seek out a target or emissions from the target and speed to encounter it whereupon they drop their containment fields and explode consuming their normal matter shells or penetrate deeply into the target which shreds their containment and then detonates them."

Silver smiled. "Sounds like you have enough strength to fight a small war, Sergeant."

"No, sir, only enough to start one." He shrugged. "To make a good beginning fighting one you'd need at least a battalion."

"Wolf Culbertson." Mrs. Hawkins frowned. "That's a human name, isn't it?"

"My adopted family's name, Madam, and I hope to see them and play a game of Treasure Hunt with my two nieces before we sail. Now, if you'll follow me I'll introduce you to the marines."

"How many weapons does a pirate ship carry, Mister Silver?" She asked as they followed Culbertson's clicking stride into the barracks.

He shrugged. "Depends on the size of the ship and the number of crew. We have enough power here that any pirate not carrying more than three masts is going to turn tail and run and that does not count the power of the eight cannons the Ariel mounts. Unfortunately Flint's ship, Annie's Revenge, mounts sixteen cannons and a crew of a hundred. The only way we'd take her is by catching her off guard with the AMWs and I'm afraid from the reports of what happened to Jimbo's ship that Flint already has such weapons."

Silver looked around at the men and women of various species scrambling to their feet at Culbertson's bellow. After taking in their fitness and spirit as they roared when Culbertson told them they were going to see some action he told her. "I think these will do very well. And if the others Jeborah supplies us with are half as good, then we should do fine."

"Absolutely." She replied to him and inwardly to herself. An idea which had been partly forming in her mind suddenly seemed very likely to be doable now.

Later as they joined Jeborah for lunch with Sergeant Culbertson she noticed that Silver seemed to be nervous and she had a good guess why. So when he asked the ancient turtle his question she was not surprised. They had just finished the desert trays when Long John asked. "Now, Mister Hobarth, Sir, I've been puzzling it and I can see no way you can handle command on one of your ships unless your captain and first officer were also marines and in charge. How do you plan to do it? You've not mentioned any other officers."

Jeborah smiled. "Mister Hobarth is a term reserved only for my father who is emeritus head of the company."

"Easmus Hobarth is what?" Mrs. Hawkins asked as she sipped a glass of sherry. "Seven hundred and fifty yet? And no, John, everyone that has ever competed with Hobarth Shipping knows that the Captain and First Mate at least are expert seaman and not marines. That's what has driven all his competitors insane. A very good sherry, Jeborah."

"Thank you." He replied. "And, yes, father is seven hundred and fifty two next week. May he live to see eight hundred." He leaned back in the chair and looked over at Culbertson. "Sergeant, I think we can answer Mister Silver's question about command by introducing them to Henry. Would you do the honors?"

"Certainly, Sir." Sergeant Culbertson stood and touched a small silver button embedded in his chest just under the collar of his shirt. "Henry, would you please join us?"

There was a ripple of light and then a three-dimensional holograph of a man dressed in toga stood beside him. He looked to be nearly fifty and bald. He also looked to be in perfect physical shape. "Thank you for inviting me, Sergeant." He said laying a hand on the Sergeant's shoulder before turning to look at the table. "And thank you, Mister Hobarth, for allowing me to attend. It has been a while." He bowed and they could see he was not completely bald. A few wisps of hair still remained near the back of his head.

"Henry." Said Jeborah. "I'd like you to meet Mrs. Sarah Hawkins, the daughter of Helen Gladstone, one of the greatest ship designers, and Mister Long-John Silver, one of the greatest pirates. Sarah and Long John, I want you to meet Henry, the central control system who was installed on the Ariel this morning. Henry is the reason that our command system works so well, because Henry is a self-aware AI or artificial intelligence, one of the first of his kind."

"Jeborah, that's amazing." Mrs. Hawkins said. "Self-aware AIs are supposed to be impossible. At least that's what computer scientists say."

"Scientists think they know everything." Jeborah growled. "They only know what they permit themselves to believe." He turned to the image. "Henry, how would you describe yourself?"

Henry smiled. "A living being derived from quantum-entangled energy bubbles in space-time would be as close as your understanding would come to it. I and my fellows were created quite by accident by Easmus Hobarth in experiments on quantum spin computers in the event horizon of a black hole. We found we satisfy mutual needs. We for a physical existence in this world of matter using your quantum spin computers and Hobarth's need for a control system with high intelligence that would make the cold-blooded decision when the military part of the ship should be in charge and when the merchant side should rule."

He nodded to John and Sarah who were staring with their mouths open. "I was asked to see this rescue mission through and to see that we recovered your son, Mrs. Hawkins. I have accepted."

"And why would you do that, Henry?" She asked. "What do you gain?"

"Knowledge." He replied. "The technology on that planet may change everything forever."

The days passed swiftly as the crew was selected and the ship was readied. One of the most interesting additions to the crew was the former pirate from the original voyage to Treasure Planet, Balone the Dronian, sometimes called the Big Lizard who had been the Engineer and Gunner on the RLS Legcy. After his mind had been scrubbed as a punishment for his crimes, he'd been having a terrible time finding work because there were blank spots in his memory and in his speech. Silver found him and rescued him from a government dole house.

Silver shook his head as he watched the Big Lizard fumble as he tried to refresh himself on the laser cannon using the simulator. It looked like a lot of his shots were going wild but he kept trying. "It's a rotten shame, Morphy." He said as he rubbed what served for the moment as the little shape-shifter's head. "They made him a good, law-biding citizen and took all the fire out of him. What a waste."

"Ho. Ho." The Big Lizard chortled as he apparently got a hit. He fired again and his face fell. Another miss. Then came several successive hits as he dry fired the gun, pumping its peddles to traverse the sky following simulated targets only he could see and then there was a lot of cursing. More misses. The gun stopped firing and a score of 75 came up on the screen. Better. He sighed and looked disgusted. But not good enough.

Silver shook his head. "A rotten shame, Morphy. He used to get 400. Now I wonder if he can even get to 200 or pass an engineer's certification."

As he turned back to the cabins, a glowing image of Jeborah's head sprang up before him. "Ah, Silver. I've been looking for you. I just finished talking with Mrs. Hawkins about a candidate for First Mate and she agrees that he'll do a fine job. I'm sending him over for you to see. Also, you may want to speed up preparations for leaving. My sources tell me the Admiralty has got a bee in its ear and is starting to look in our direction. Be warned." The image flashed away.

"That's not good, Morphy." Silver said as he climbed the stairs to the cabins. "And who is this God-sent First Mate? And if he's going to have one of the cabins, then where will we be bunking? Ah, little one, we've been a cook before and we can be it again. A woman as captain worked out well last time but I wonder if this one has the experience."

Entering the aisle to the cabins he found Jim's mother just coming out of a room. She was attired in a shirt and pants with her hair tied up in a ponytail. A big kit bag was slung over her shoulder. "How is your friend, the Dronian, working out?" She asked as she set the bag down and closed the room's door.

Silver shrugged. "Neither good nor bad. He needs someone to take him in hand and help him remember what he's temporarily forgotten. Certainly something that most of the crew have no time or patience for. We may have to leave him behind." He paused and whistled softly. "That's certainly a different look for you, Mrs. Hawkins."

She smiled at him. "Get used to it. It's what I'll be wearing until we get back."

"You'll be wearing this? A common crew's outfit? Mrs. Hawkins, are you sure about this?" He asked as he pushed his hat back.

"Very." She replied as she shoved a pistol into her waist band. "It's what I wore when I served as a deckhand on my mother's ships for four years. I expect I haven't forgotten what needs to be done and I just haven't sat around the inn all these years. How else do you think after bearing a son, I kept my shape? Eating bonbons?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not. Mrs. Hawkins, you are a lot different than I originally pictured you as being, can I ask why you didn't come along on our last voyage?" He rubbed the back of his head and looked down. "It seems you could've contributed a lot."

She looked at him intently. "You really mean that, don't you?" He nodded and she sighed. "There were two reasons I didn't go. First, I had no money as the inn was uninsured the first time it burned. It was the Doctor who put up the sums needed and he was very much against having me or any other woman along. Else why did he pick an all-male crew and turn down all the women. I heard he had a fit when he realized that a woman was the captain and he couldn't change that." She grinned. "From what I see Captain Amelia has changed the Doctor's mind about the ability of women in a big way."

The grin faded and she continued. "The second reason I didn't go was Jim. I realized that if he was ever going to get himself straightened out and make something of himself, the last thing he needed was his mother watching over his shoulder and commenting on every move he made. So I faded into the background. Didn't mean I wasn't involved in the planning for the voyage. Who do you think steered the Doctor to the RLS Legacy, hhmm? Captain Amelia and Mister Arrow were both suggested by my family who had influence with the Port Authority. So, in some ways, I was there. But this time I'll really be here and I'll be active as a sailor."

"A sailor? Mrs. Hawkins, I thought…" His voice trailed off as he realized she was smiling at him.

"What?" She said. "Did you think I was going to be the captain? Good heavens, I know my limits. Long John Silver, captain's your job. You may be a great cook, but from what Jim told me you make an even better captain and since we aren't taking a crew of pirates this time, I should be fine. I certainly have no intention of riding out this voyage in a cabin while others sweat to get my son back."

She picked up her bag and touched his hand. "Thank you, for thinking I could do that job. It means a lot to me."

He felt like his hand was burning where she touched it and gently withdrew from her touch with a blush starting to show. He fidgeted for a moment and then got it out. "Then as Captain, Mrs. Hawkins, can I suggest an assignment you might find interesting that would help a friend of mine and make the voyage better?"

She frowned. "It depends. What do you need done?"

He pointed over where the Dronian was fumbling with a rope. "It's what Mister Balone needs. He's no longer a pirate and has paid for his crimes, but he needs someone to be his friend and help him get his memory back of all of his skills. He needs someone who'll get him back on the right road. Jimbo said you were a great teacher. I wonder if you could try to help him?"

She thought a moment. "You say he's totally reformed. I remember him screaming threats at his trial."

"That he did." He said earnestly and leaned forward with a soft smile. "But you have to remember that was the part of his mind they wiped. They left him the sad being you see now who needs someone to help him recover. He needs a teacher and a friend. We need him back as a gunner and an engineer if we're going to get Jimbo back. Will you do it, Mrs. Hawkins?"

She looked at the Dronian and sighed. "All right, Captain. I'll try, but I'll let you know if it isn't working." She put her bag on her shoulder and went to store her kit on a bunk in the crew quarters.

Silver watched her until she vanished in the crew quarters. Then he scratched his head for a moment. "This is certainly unexpected, Morphy, and I think we need to do something to ensure her safety if things don't turn out like we want them to. I be thinking she has need of a friend too."

He whistled over to the Big Lizard who came up and stood before him looking hangdog. "I. Bad. I. Leave. Thanks." His speech patterns had been twisted by the washing and it was painful to hear. He started to turn away.

"Now hold on, Mister Balone. I'm the Captain and I say who stays or leaves." Silver snapped. The Big Lizard turned around with a child-like hope in his eyes. Silver put his human hand on the big shoulder. "You passed the engineer test with a high score." He did not show his mechanical hand with two sets of fingers crossed behind his back. It had been a squeaker of a pass but he wasn't going to tell his friend that. "And I want you to keep practicing on the guns. You'll get better."

The Big Lizard blinked and sniffed as he wiped under his eyes with a massive finger. "You. Good. Pack. Friend."

"Oh, aye, leave off that fiendish desire in your eye to give me a hug, Mister Balone. I have one unofficial duty for you. I've assigned you to the same crew cabin as Mrs. Hawkins. I want you to keep an eye on her."

"Not. Baby. Sitter." The Big Lizard growled.

Silver smiled at him. "I don't want you to be, but I'm asking you as a pack friend to keep an eye on this young cub so no harm comes to her. The Dronian pack always watches out for its cubs."

"The Big Lizard sighed. "All. Right. Pack. Friend." He slouched away with a resigned look on his face.

Silver shook his head. "I hope I'm doing the right thing, Morphy. I really do." Morph in response became a boy scout. "Go on." Silver told him a little disgustedly. "Don't tell me you think I'm getting soft." Morph in response became an angel with a harp. Silver turned away rubbing the back of his head. "And on top of all of this I just hope nothing comes after us, but with Flint involved I think that's a forlorn hope."

Later as he watched the crew work, he saw the Big Lizard struggling with coiling a rope into its container. The Dronian kept glancing over at Mrs. Hawkins who was having only a little trouble with hers. Silver sighed. Sometimes the newly washed had trouble even with things they should know. Mister Balone took one too many looks over at Mrs. Hawkins. She paused and then she smiled at him. She gave Silver a thumbs up and set aside the rope she was coiling and walked over to the Big Lizard.

"Mister Balone, is it?" She held out her hand which he took gingerly in his own much larger one. "I'm Sarah Hawkins and I seem to be having some trouble with these old ropes. They seem to need two people. Would you like to join me and maybe we can help each other."

"You. Want. My. Help?" He said incredulously.

She took him by the hand. With a shrug and a faint hope in his eyes he joined her. Together they took turns feeding in the stubborn rope and she kept up a running commentary of questions and answers while doing nothing to demean or ridicule him and ignored his fumbling. Finally he seemed to get the memory back and they finished up quickly. "Good job." She said. "Thanks." She got a cautious smile in return as he wiped sweat off his brow.

She pointed over at the gun still in practice mode. "I saw you shooting before. Please show me how to do it. I've never shot one of these. It looks difficult."

The Big Lizard followed her reluctantly to the gun. After he had seated himself, he punched up the program and showed her how to aim and fire the gun. She nodded and asked questions and as he answered them he began to relax. "Let's try a simulation." She suggested. He tensed but with a little nod switched on the program. Targets appeared darting around the screen. He squinted his eyes and tried so hard not to miss but he hit only two of them.

He slumped in the seat. "No. Good." He muttered.

She leaned over his shoulder and read the screen and its results. "Actually you came very close and I noticed that the last ones you hit you actually just relaxed before you fired."

He shrugged. "Disgusted. No. Care."

"That's the secret then. Just relax. You're trying too hard and its keeping you from accessing your former reflexes. Just relax and shoot for fun like you used to do. Take a couple of deep breaths and when you are relaxed, I'll start the program."

He leaned back in the chair, took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. He took another and as he let it out his hands came up as if under someone else's control and took the gun handles and his fingers settled on the firing buttons. For the first time the controls felt familiar to him just like old friends. Not saying a word she gently pressed the start button. His eyes locked on to the first target and a simulated beam blew it out of the sky. He was not watching as he had already moved to the second, the third and many more.

When the gun finally finished cycling through its programs, He gasped as he stared at the program results. The screen flashed 455. He pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!"

Sarah clapped her hands in delight. "That was marvelous. Thank you for showing me."

The Big Lizard who had once threatened to tear the Doctor's liver out, turned with a smile and cuffed her gently on the shoulder. "No. Thank. You." He said. His eyes were filled with adoration. "Now. Your Turn." He stepped out of the seat and bowed to her as she slipped into vacated seat. He turned to face Silver while she familiarized herself with the controls. He held up a thumb and nodded towards her and said in a whisper that Silver's electronic hearing picked up. "I. Watch. Close. You. Bet. Pack. Friend."

Silver shook his head. "Amazing, Morphy. Just amazing. All those idiot government workers didn't know how or didn't want to help him and all it took was one special person willing to try."

"Pardon me, Sir. Are you Captain Long-John Silver?" A deep voice enquired from around his waist. A voice that was too familiar and had last been heard just before being swallowed by a black hole.

Silver looked down and saw a compressed version of the former First Mate Mister Arrow from the RLS Legacy in exact detail down to the red coat. "And you are?"

"Johnny Arrow." Came the reply. "Mister Jeborah Horbath said you needed a First Mate and I'd like to apply."

Silver raised an eyebrow. "Are you any relation to the Mister Arrow who served on the RSL Legacy by any chance?"

"My younger brother, Billy, sir." The chest expanded with pride. "I taught him everything he knew, sir."

Silver rolled his eyes and muttered to Morph. "Of course he did." He continued in a louder voice. "I knew your brother and you have my sympathies at his loss. He was a great First Mate."

"Thank you, sir. I will pass that along to mom. She'll appreciate hearing it, sir."

Silver opened the door to the cabin. "Come along then, Mister Arrow, let's talk and if I'm satisfied we'll get you squared away and then go and meet the crew and I'll introduce you to Henry." He looked back at the crew working the rigging. Not including Mrs. Hawkins there were at least five other women. He shook his head. He wondered how the crew would shake out. When you had a mixed one like this with different customs, it sometimes took time to straighten things out and he wondered how Mister Arrow would react to Henry.

That night as Mrs. Hawkins tiredly went to her upper wall bunk she found her kit dumped on the floor and a big alien built like a rhino who walked on his hind legs sitting on the bunk. "Pardon me." She said. "I believe that I had claimed that."

"Tough." The Rhino said. "I'm bigger than you, so it's mine, puny mammal." He swung a massive arm at her to emphasize his point. She caught the arm and jerked hard, sending him crashing to the floor.

As he got to his feet with a roar she hurled his kit bag in his face. "Learn some manners, ship mate." She snapped, dropping into a defensive posture.

He hurled the bag aside. "I'll beat you bloody!"

He charged and as he descended on her she twisted to the side and drove a hard blow with her doubled fists into his groin area sending him crashing to the floor again. As he started to get to his feet she smashed a heel punch into his neck. He slammed to the floor again. "Let's let it ride, ship mate." She said as she drew her pistol. "Do you give up?"

He nodded and the watching crew members relaxed. But as she holstered the gun, he put down his head and charged her, slamming her into the bunk. He grabbed her by the neck in one hand and raised a clenched fist. As the sailors looked on in shock, he shouted. "Die, Warm Blood!"

The fist started forward, but was abruptly jerked to a halt as an even larger hand grabbed it and squeezed. With a squeal he went to his knees, dropping Sarah to her backside on the floor.

Over him loomed the Big Lizard. He smiled down at the Rhino. "Lady. Protect. Want. Fight?" He squeezed harder and the Rhino whimpered and shook his head. "Good." The Big Lizard glared at the open-mouth onlookers. "All. Shipmates. Bullying. Overboard. Former. Shipmate." They all nodded enthusiastically. "Good." He said. "Good. Shipmates." He went over and sank down into the opposite wall bunk from her. The crew all hurriedly returned to what they had been doing. The Rhino cursed and stormed out the door.

As Sarah worked to restore her kit she said to him. "Thanks."

He opened one eye and smiled at her. "Shipmate. Good. Watch." He then shut the eye and was asleep immediately.

However he was not really sleeping as the Rhino found out to his sorrow when he returned that night. He never got within three feet of her bunk with his knife out before a large hand grasped him behind the neck and lifted him off the deck. "Stupid." The Big Lizard said.

Sarah Hawkins shoved her blanket back revealing a fully armed laser pistol pointed at the Rhino's gut. "Yes, you're stupid." She kept the pistol pointed at him as she followed the Big Lizard up to the deck.

When they reached the deck the Big Lizard said. "Go. Sleep. I. Take. Care."

She looked at the Rhino and then back to the Dronian. "What are you going to do with him?"

"Overboard." He hissed.

"Well, since he tried to kill me, I like your plan, but I think the forms must be followed before you throw him overboard." She keyed her computer display so that it popped up in an almost transparent image. "Mister Arrow, this is Mrs. Hawkins and Mister Balone. We have a situation here that needs your immediate attention. Yes, it's at least a class three alert. Yes, Sir. We'll wait." She turned off the computer image.

"Here now. What's going on here?" Mister Arrow said as he came out of the darkness. He took in the three of them and frowned. "I have a feeling I'm not going to like this."

The Big Lizard used his other hand to cast a knife on the deck. "Flint. Murderer. Attempt. Kill. Hawkins. Stopped."

Mister Arrow tipped his hat back and looked at Mrs. Hawkins. "Tell me if I got it wrong. This thug works for Flint and tried to knife you, but Mister Balone caught him."

"Yes." The Big Lizard shook the Rhino so hard he gurgled. "Overboard."

Sarah Hawkins smiled. "Yes, that's essentially it, except I had him covered with a pistol when he tried to kill me. If Mister Balone hadn't grabbed him, the ship's doctor would have been required to put him back together."

Mister Arrow shook his head. "This voyage is starting out not as ship shape as I would like. Well, come along. We need to inform the Captain."

"Then. Overboard?" The Big Lizard asked hopefully.

"Sir, I'll help you. Murdering scum like him make my skin crawl." Mister Arrow said. "But only after we see Captain Silver."

Silver looked up in surprise as Mister Arrow walked up to him on the bridge. "Problem, Mister Arrow?" He asked, his eyes widening as he saw whom the Big Lizard was carrying towards him under his arm and that Mrs. Hawkins still held a pistol in her hand..

"You might say that Captain." Mister Arrow growled. He half turned and gestured towards the Rhino. "This thug was caught trying to stab Mrs. Hawkins here. But thanks to Mister Balone here he was stopped before he could do her serious harm or she could shoot him down like he deserved. But what's even more disturbing is that a quick shakedown shows that he has a ship's electronic pass key." He held out the offending device for Silver's inspection and laid it on the desk before he continued. "The crew rolls have no record of him. We have no idea who he is."

"Oh I know him, Mister Arrow." Silver said as he got up and walked towards the Rhino. His face grew darker with building anger. "He's Willy Rogers. He's an assassin for hire at the low end of the pay scale and once was a pirate on a ship I sailed on. I say 'was' because we caught him stealing and set him adrift with five days supplies." He stopped before the Rhino and glared at him. "I should've killed you that day, Willy. Give me a reason not to do it now."

"What do you need to know?" The Rhino said and his voice was unsteady.

"Who hired you first and second how many of you are involved?"

"I don't know who it was." The Rhino snapped.

In response Long-John Silver drew his sword and shoved the point up against the Rhino' neck. "Wrong answer." He snarled.

Mrs. Hawkins blinked and wondered how differently this might have been handled on a ship of the line and found that she didn't care. The swine had tried to kill her like it had been open season.

"It's true. It's true." The Rhino pleaded. "The money and the hit description are always delivered electronically and the money is wired to an account I can open if I complete the job. I didn't know you were involved, Johnny, until after I took the job. Had I known I would've refused."

Silver pushed the sword in a little and was rewarded by a red trickle coming down the Rhino's neck, making the Rhino turn white as he babbled. "It's the truth, Johnny. You can kill me but it won't change what I know."

Silver didn't remove the sword. "And where did you get the electronic key to get on the ship?"

"It just appeared at the door this morning in an unmarked box just like the message said it would. Please, Johnny, can I go? I've told you everything."

Mister Arrow looked at the key. "The only place this could've come from is Hobarths. The codes were changed yesterday by Henry." He looked up at Silver. "It seems Hobarths has a security breach. With your permission, Captain, I'll have Henry make some calls so they can start plugging the leaks."

Silver nodded. "Do that, Mister Arrow, but first, what should we do with our friend here?"

Mister Arrow frowned. "He attempted murder. Ordinarily, I'd turn him over to the authorities. But since we're pressed for time." He drew out a large knife from his belt. "I think we can…"

He never got to finish as the Rhino with a squeal of terror ripped through the vest that the Big Lizard was holding him by and tried to leap as fast as he could over the dockside railing. The Big Lizard was even faster. He caught him by his short tail, spun him four times in the air, causing the others to duck, and then hurled him over the harbor rail into space. "Good. Riddance." He growled as he dusted his hands off.

"Well." Said Mister Arrow. "That was certainly one way to handle it." He looked at the knife. "I think taking his clothes off with the knife, knocking him unconscious, and dumping him on some little asteroid as we left would've worked too." He holstered the knife. He raised an eyebrow at Mrs. Hawkins who'd gasped when he pulled the knife. "What did you think I meant, Mrs. Hawkins?"

"Just what you said, Sir." She replied as she holstered her pistol. "With your permission, Mister Balone and I will return to our quarters." She and the the Dronian went down the stairs and for a second Silver and Mister Arrow saw them lightly punch each other in the shoulders before they disappeared from view.

Silver shook his head. "I'm slipping, Mister Arrow. I let them plant a bug on me that led them right to the Inn which they proceeded to destroy and then I let one of them get right by me and come for her."

"I disagree, Captain. It's Hobarths that has the problem and not us." Mister Arrow replied. "I would not want to be in some of their shells in the next few hours after Jeborah hears of this. Besides their thug failed and no harm was done."

"No harm done this time, Mister Arrow. What about the next? And we have to ask why did they mark her for assassination? You think they would've more likely gone for me or sabotaged the ship."

Mister Arrow shrugged. "There is no way of accounting for the criminally stupid and that was all Willy was. I have to admire Mister Balone's solution, though."

Silver chuckled. "Mister Arrow, in some ways you're like your brother and in others you seem, shall I say, more flexible. He would've insisted we turn that scum over to the police."

"Billy was always what we called a straight Arrow, Sir. I'm more a broken Arrow." Mister Arrow said with a straight face.

Silver arched an eyebrow at him. "Was that a joke, Mister Arrow?"

"No sir. Billy was a hard nose. It was just the way he was. We all knew it would get him in trouble someday. And speaking of trouble, sir. The one who ended up in the harbor if he survives and those that hired him will have time to make mischief if we give them the time. I recommend hastening our departure time, sir."

There was a small chime and Henry appeared looking worried. "I agree with Mister Arrow, Captain. I am calculating a very high probability that if we do not leave as soon as we can, we won't leave at all. Also, I predict at 10 to 1 odds we will early on encounter the thugs who destroyed the Inn upon leaving the shields of the Crescent and they will try to stop us. I have informed the Sergeant to be prepared that I will have to declare a military emergency. This is your warning. Also I informed Hobarths about the security leak." He blinked out of existence.

Silver sighed. "Henry seems to agree with you, Mister Arrow." He turned and opened the door. "Come on back to my cabin. We need to make some plans."

Out in the harbor, the Rhino got lucky and caught a trailing rope from a passing ship and pulled himself aboard the small craft where he hid himself until the fishing ship returned to port the next morning. Then he headed for his drop box. What he found there sent him racing to the Admiralty. He had lost his assassin's fee but maybe he could still turn a profit.

The message to Treasure Planet about Willy's failure was not replied to right away, but the sender could imagine the rage at the other end. Finally a terse message was received but from a different speaker. "Put assassin team aboard using usual procedure after they leave the Crescent. Take down all targets during our confrontation." This time it was signed. Captain Flint.

The cyborg who had been the original communicator stared angrily at the flashing lights on the consoles surrounding him. He couldn't believe the luck of that woman, but he would make sure she didn't survive. He sent a message amending the Captain's orders. Kill if a good opportunity arises. That would take care of her.

He punched up a new display and saw that the worm program was proceeding nicely. In days the computers running Treasure Planet would crash, leaving him and Flint in charge. It was in his ace in the hole. One way or the other everyone would bow to him and Flint. He grinned. There was an even a use for dear sweet Jimmy. He left whistling.

The unseen man in the black cloak smiled and rubbed his hands together. Everything was happening just as he'd foreseen. Total power would soon be his.

The inhuman watcher was afraid he might be right but there were still moves to be made and players yet unheard from. It was time to take a more active role.


	7. Casting Off

Silver stood on the deck next to the wheel which Orfeo manned while Morph sat on Silver's shoulder. This was going to be their first dry run. Everything was stored aboard but one always needed to shake things out before the real voyage started. If there was a second time. "Everything ready, Mister Arrow?" He called to the First Mate who stood below him.

"Aye, aye, Captain." Mister Arrow touched a finger to his hat. "Everyone and everything is ship shape. Just give the word, sir."

Silver glanced up at Mrs. Hawkins who was in the riggings with the others. He used his telescopic vision and thought he saw her smile back at him. He started to give the order for the shakedown cruise when an image flashed in front of him.

It was Jeborah. "Silver, as Henry feared you must leave now. Officers from the Admiralty are here with orders for your arrest and impoundment orders for the Ariel." He smiled back at someone off the image. "Ah, I see you're here. I'm sorry for the delay in getting in to see me. Just give me a minute, good sirs. After all, I'm 655 years old." The image vanished.

Silver leaned over the rail. "Change of plans, Mister Arrow. We have to leave now. "

"Aye, Sir. As we discussed?"

"You have that right, Mister Arrow." He turned to the helmsman as Mister Arrow began bellowing out the new commands for emergency departure. "Do it, mister Orfeo."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Course laid in." He punched several buttons on a lighted panel behind him with one tentacle while he spun the wheel with the other three and stepped on the throttle with his center tentacle.

Below decks in the drive room the Big Lizard heard the claxon sound from the push on the throttle and began punching buttons and pulling levers. Overhead Silver's voice came over the speaker. "Engine Room, full power. We're about to have some very-uninvited guests wearing government red."

The Big Lizard punched down another button and a display screen lit up, showing him the scene outside on the dock. The screen was usually used to inspect the firing tubes but it was also useful as a rear-view mirror. He grunted as he saw Her Majesty's Marines fighting their way clear of the sailors and gawkers on the docks who had gathered to watch the launch and now beginning their charge down the long dock, entirely ignoring the signs warning them that this was a ship launch area and stay out when the claxon was sounding, which it most certainly was. He glanced over at his other displays and grunted again in satisfaction. He kept the rear display on. He wanted to watch this.

The marine commander running along the dock with his squad said to the officer in the carriage pulled by laboring horses. "We have them, Sir. Before they can get clear of the docks and fully charged we'll be dragging them to heel."

"Good." The officer adjusted his monocle. "I wonder how that shrew that slapped me will like her time in jail?"

The Big Lizard looked at the image viewer as the marines pounded towards them. He grinned. Captain wanted full power. Full power he'd get. He smiled at all the batteries with the latest atomic-level tech. They had been brought aboard fully charged and their lights were green. It was time to go. He threw the lever.

"Sir!" Shouted the marine commander. "They just opened the launching ports and that sounds like a full charge." The background hum that had been droning away suddenly changed pitch and shot way up the scale.

"What? That's impossible." The officer shouted. He never got to finish saying what was impossible as the tubes lit up and the resulting blast wave blew him back out of the carriage and into a pterodactyl nest. Fire gouted as the ship turned to face the stars and then shot into the heavens. The officer never saw it leave as the parents and their chicks with razor-sharp teeth immediately attacked him and ripped his Gordon Brothers uniform (100 pounds with gold braid extra) into shreds and threw him out of the nest to sprawl alongside the marine commander where they happily defecated on him.

The marine commander got to his feet, wiped the black soot out of his eyes, and then tipped his helmet back and watched the fire trail vanish into the distance. He shook his head. Wherever they were going, they were going there faster than anything he'd ever seen. There was a BOOM that was more felt than heard. "By the saints, it's already in warp." He said in wonder, adding. "And where could they be going in such a hurry?"


	8. Flint's Prisoner

Jim Hawkins awoke with one of the worst headaches he'd ever experienced. His mouth felt like sandpaper and the whole room seemed to be whirling around him. He sat up on the edge of the bed and almost fainted. His stomach lurched and he had to swallow the urge to throw up. He held his head in his hands until the whirling subsided and then he tried opening his eyes. A wall with brightly winking lights greeted him. An overhead light cast a soft glow over the room which by turning his head slowly he could estimate was about twenty by twenty. There were no windows or doors. Wherever he was, it wasn't on the Annabelle Lee.

He got to his feet and with a hand on the wall he staggered along trying to determine how big his cell was. He grunted as his shin smashed into an obstacle. He looked down and saw a sleeping figure inside a white chest. On looking closer he realized it was the navigator pirate from the trip to Treasure Planet. But wasn't he dead? He'd seen him burn to death in the inferno as the treasure was destroyed. There were three other cubicles and he thought he recognized the other pirates who'd died in the inferno. He looked closer and saw they were still breathing.

He heard a small chime behind him, whirled, and managed to gasp out. "Is there anyone here?"

In answer a column of light nearly as tall as a person appeared about seven feet in front of him. "Yes." It flashed as the almost musical word hit his ears.

"What happened to the Annabelle Lee and my crewmates?" He demanded.

"I do not have that information. Sorry." The light column pulsed.

Jim pointed at the four white boxes. "What are they doing here? I thought they were killed."

"I will endeavor to answer your questions but first I see you're thirsty and have other needs." A luminous portable toilet sprang into existence. "I will return shortly with food and drink." The light vanished.

Jim was just straightening his uniform when a luminous table with a glass of water and warm food appeared. The light column was also back. "I took the liberty of preparing your favorite meal, a porterhouse with baked potatoes."

It was all he could do to keep from barfing. "I'm not ready to eat."

The light flashed. "I took the liberty of placing a mild restorative in the water. Forgive me for not mentioning this. Drink it and you should be fine."

He cautiously sipped the water, not tasting anything odd. Abruptly his nausea was gone and he was hungry. After he had devoured the dinner, he leaned back in the bed and rested the back of his head against the wall which felt warm to the touch. "All right." He said. "Who're you?"

"I have been called the caretaker or the steward. It is my job to see you are prepared." The musical reply came.

"Do you have a name? I don't want to keep shouting 'hey you' or caretaker."

"They never gave me a name. It was not considered necessary and no one has ever asked before."

"You must get some pretty dull people here. Suppose I give you a name. Is that allowed?"

"I am not certain, but there is nothing that forbids it. What name would you give me?"

Jim considered before replying. "You have a very sweet voice. It sounds like a popular singer I heard. Would Diane be all right?"

"I can see a mental picture of her and I would be honored." The light pulsed back sweetly. It flashed and then coalesced into an image of a young woman in her early twenties with strawberry-blond hair and wearing a white pants suit.

She was so pretty he whistled appreciatively. "Diane it is. Now Diane, if it's allowed, where am I?"

The young woman frowned and considered before replying. "Room 735, Tower 11 of the City."

"Diane, can you be a little more informative? What city?"

"It is the City of the Future. It has been the City of the Future for I believe what would be thousands of your years."

Jim sighed. "What planet is it on?"

She replied. "I know it by a name that I see would be meaningless to you. However, those of your species who visited here before called it Treasure Planet."

"Treasure Planet? That's impossible." Jim got to his feet and faced her. "Treasure Planet was destroyed along with those four pirates over there. I know because I fled the destruction after they were killed."

"Yet here you are on Treasure Planet once more." She said with a smile.

Jim shook his head. It was like arguing with jello. "What happened here? Flint set the whole planet to self-destruct. It should've exploded."

"It did. Your escape pleased me because it was so resourceful and you cut it so close." She clapped her hands in delight. "You are the best player I've seen in centuries." She then made a curtsey. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you liked it." He growled.

"Oh I did. I recorded it and placed it in the archives and then I reset this part of the planet for the next game which you are playing in now."

"This just a game to you?" He asked incredulously.

She frowned and even that she managed to make pretty. "It is all I've ever known. It is my purpose to manage the players of the game. Do you realize how lonely it gets when no one comes to play here? You did so well last time that I'm bending the rules and talking to you. It's also why I gave you this longer break so you could play the game better. You have no idea how very badly hurt you were. Your fellow players who are taking the part of the opposition seemed to take great pleasure in hurting you before they dumped you on the bed to heal. Do you mind if I talk to you in your mind during the game? I will try and not disturb you, really." She made a small pleading smile.

Jim looked at his hands and rolled up his sleeves. The laser burns he'd received when Flint and his men had burst into the communications room were gone as well as the broken bones and bruises from the kicking and blows to his head which they'd given him for escaping and getting the message off to Silver. Having someone who could heal you on your side had to be a plus even if they wouldn't give you a lot of privacy "No, I don't mind, but there's got to be more to life than just playing a game."

"And what would that be?" She asked expectantly.

"Enjoying yourself by experiencing beauty or sharing good times with your companions and your family, falling in love, having children; there's just so many. But to know these things you have to feel. It's not enough to look like a human but you have to be one and then you might understand and find more purpose in your existence."

She considered this for a moment. "I've never tried that. Can I briefly merge with you so I can experience yours? This will tell me if I want to continue this experience."

"I don't know. Will this affect me in any way?"

"Physically, no. As to how you react to me and my comments that will of course affect you. It will be as if I was standing beside you. The experience will be brief and not unpleasant."

Jim considered for a moment. It would be an advantage in having a being on his side with powers like hers. "Well, yes." He said and then he wondered what would happen if he got hurt. How would she react then? "I'm not…"

He was interrupted as a door flashed into existence and a menacing shadow appeared in it. Diane vanished and then he heard her deep inside his mind. "The game begins."

A pair of pinchers grabbed Jim and jerked him off his fleet and high into the air. "So pleased to meet you again, cabin boy." The creature growled.

"I feel from your reactions that this being scares the heck out of you, but he also amazes you." Diana said in his mind.

"You can say that again." Jim replied as he stared in horror at Mister Scroop whom he'd last seen floating to his death.


	9. Flint Strikes First

Long John Silver strode out his cabin, nodded to the helmsman, and stood by the railing to the bridge watching the busy crew. He hitched up his belt and sighed. "It's good to be back in space again, Morphy." Morph bobbled and tweeted in agreement. "Here's hoping that despite Henry's misgivings we have ourselves a trouble free voyage."

Morph made a series of squeaks and formed a big question mark, causing Orfeo to chuckle. "Little one says don't count on it."

"I've been wondering, Mister Orfeo, how you understand his language so well." Silver looked over at his helmsman raising his eyebrow while he fed Morph a treat.

"Well, Captain, I…." Mister Orfeo was unable to finish as a claxon began blaring and all the officer's computers lit up near their faces. The image flashing was of an approaching ship and the words flashing on and off left no doubt. 'ATTACK ALERT!' Below it Henry's glum assessment scrolled. 'Three mast ship with signals indicating AMWs is approaching on intercept course. It answers to no hailing. Military wing is now in command.'

Sergeant Culbertson had received the same alert. He threw aside the sail he'd been mending and punched in his command sequence. Immediately all ship systems slaved to him. Silver and Mister Arrow could only sit back and watch until either the threat had been dealt with or the sergeant relinquished command.

The idea of this galled Silver even though he saw the necessity for it. He gripped the rail and said. "Morph, I hope the good Sergeant is as good as Jeborah says he is. This is his war now."

Sarah Hawkins who was in the rigging helping bring in one of the sails heard the claxon at the same time her computer display image in front of her face filled with the order. "BATTLE STATIONS." Her display also showed a light blinking ahead of them with pulsating red circles and as she looked out over the bow off in the distance she saw a light flashing and she realized it was another ship and it was firing on them.

Since she hadn't been assigned a battle station she decided to stay where she was rather than cause problems for someone who didn't need them. The light grew in size but she couldn't make out what it was and then it exploded. A seething, rolling mass of energy leapt out to embrace the ship. As the fireball swept in it was deflected around them by the ship's energy field which began glowing and shaking. The whole ship shuddered and she found she was glad she'd wrapped her arms around the ropes as she snapped back and forth like the end of a whip. "That has to be one of those antimatter weapons." She gasped. Whoever they were they wanted them dead.

Sergeant Culbertson knew immediately what was going on. The other ship had fired an AMW at them and it had self-detonated a ways from them, probably due to a faulty containment field. "Well, you only get one chance sometimes." He growled to himself. He barked out. "AMW squad, target the bow of that ship. Fire a round for intercept on my command."

Two lizard-like aliens were at the railing with what looked like a long tube on the kneeling one's shoulder. The other saluted, bent and opened a silver box. He took a silver rocket out of it and rose with it cradled carefully in his hands. He pushed a button on the rocket and read a display that popped up. "Charge is armed." He said to his buddy who nodded. He swung open a door on the top side of the tube and laid the rocket in it very carefully. He closed the door and after reading the display turned and saluted. "AMW armed and tracking." He looked at the display, looked up, and grinned savagely. "Target spot acquired. We're ready to fire on your command, Sergeant."

Culbertson peered through a pair of binoculars that were entirely electronic. He could see activity on the other ship which looked to be a three master. A silver flash appeared on his screen. That meant they were arming another AMW. "You're about to find out, you bunch of mangy murders, what it means to fight a professional." Another flash on his screen told him the other ship's AMW had gone live. "Fire!" He shouted.

There was a loud CHUFF as the AMW loaded rocket burst out, sending a signal ahead of it which opened a hole in the energy screen for it. It streaked away with its AM drive causing it to look like a small supernova. In the rigging Sarah Hawkins watched spellbound as the light sped away and dwindled in the distance.

As the AMW neared the attacker it ignored the ship's energy screen signature. It had other fish to fry. Its drive cut off and now it drifted waiting for its target. There was an electronic burst that meant the other ship was preparing to fire its tube again and the AMW came to life again and its drive kicked in. Its computer had calculated to the nanosecond when the other's shield would drop and as the ship fired its AMW tube its emerging rocket was met head on by the interceptor.

To Sarah Hawkins it was like experiencing a supernova up close. The flash was so bright that no one could look at it unprotected. When her eyes stopped weeping, she looked at her screen. The screen was showing. STAND DOWN.

The enemy had just been consumed in a gigantic fireball from the AMW interceptor, its own AMW rocket, the normal matter of its ship and crew and all of the other AMWs on board.

Sergeant Culbertson looked at his displays. Henry had written a terse summary. 'Enemy ship destroyed. No other threats. Command returned to Captain Silver.' The screens went blank. He turned and saluted the bridge. "The enemy has been destroyed. You have command again, Captain." Behind him the two lizard-like aliens gave each other high fives.

Silver saluted back. "Thank you, Sergeant." He looked back towards where the other ship had been. "Well." He said softly to himself. "I think we're even for what you did to the Inn, Flint."


	10. Return to a Black Hole

Captain Silver decided after the shakeup that the ship had been given to pull into the nearest shielded resting point which would hide their emissions. Henry had found them a newly formed black hole with lots of shielding emissions and it was only after they were in orbit around it that Silver realized it was a very familiar black hole. And why shouldn't it be as they were following the old course to Treasure Planet. Sighing he called Mister Arrow to the bridge to apologize for bringing him back here where his brother had died.

Mister Arrow waved off his apologies. "Billy knew what he was getting into and we all know there is a final voyage, Captain. Don't worry about it. But if you don't mind I'll just stand here awhile before I get back to my duties." He put his hands behind his back and stared off at the flickering black hole.

Silver used his telescopic vision to observe the swirling black hole in front of them. Even if the supernova that had formed it was long gone, the space surrounding its greedy offspring was still filled with radiation blasted from the newly formed hole. The spinning hole flashed repeatedly as it sent out Hawking radiation bursts. Johnny Arrow stood beside him with a pair of binoculars to his eyes and watched as swirling streamers of gas were swallowed by the black hole.

"I thought ye'd like to see this in private, Mister Arrow." Silver said. "But if a man has to have a tombstone, then I can think of none finer for your brother."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. But Billy is not gone." Mister Arrow replied. At Silver's raised eyebrow he continued. "Space and time get very strange around a black hole, sir, and them that approach its event horizon get frozen in their fall so that they never seem to reach it. Of course, sir, to us on the outside they are instantly destroyed, but to them that's falling in it takes eternity." He wiped his eye. "So if it's all the same to you, sir, I'd prefer to think of my brother Billy as still amongst the living."

Silver nodded. He'd heard stranger in all his years. He called up to the helmsman. "All departments have reported in. Have ye got our proper bearings, Mister Orfeo? I've no desire to tarry here." As if in answer the black hole flashed twice.

"Course confirmed and laid in, Captain." Orfeo replied as he finished punching the buttons. "Ready on your command." At Silver's nod he depressed the throttle.

A moment later the launch tubes fired and the ship sped away from the black hole. A little further on and coruscating waves of light surrounded it as it dove into warp space. The warp BOOM shook the surface of the black hole which itself was warping space and the Hawking radiation flared even brighter.

Deep inside the black hole a thought escaped since it had neither mass nor space. "Johnny?"

Then all was as it had been and the black hole rolled on swallowing matter and bending reality into its maw.


	11. Jim Meets Flint

Mister Scroop jerked Jim close. "You don't know how I've longed to repay you for what you did to me." His breath was as bad as ever.

Jim gasped and fanned his face. "You still need mouthwash."

"That may've not been the best reply." Diane said in his mind.

"Why you little." Mister Scroop brought his other pincher up around Jim's neck and began to squeeze.

"Mister Scroop." A voice boomed. "Control yourself until we're done with the boy. We have need of him." The speaker emerged into the room. It was a silver robot with a bucket shaped head in which red eyes glowed. "I would hate to have to crack you open like a lobster if you continue this." It paused to look Jim up and down. "And you boy, mind your manners or I'll let Mister Scroop break several bones that are not necessary for living." It turned. "Come, Flint and the others are waiting."

"Soon, boy." Mister Scroop promised. "You will be mine." He rolled Jim under two of his leg/arms and followed the robot.

"How can he be alive, Diane?" Jim thought. "I saw him falling to his death."

"It would be a poor park if the customers were all killed." Came the thought in reply. "I feel your heart beating faster and your muscles quivering. This does not appear to be a good experience for you."

You better believe that." He thought as they approached the side of the building.

The robot led them to a silver, saucer-shaped craft hovering at the edge of a drop that gave Jim vertigo as he was forced to stare down into the distant depths. The robot lightly hopped aboard but Mister Scroop leaped in and slammed Jim into the seat so hard that he felt the tang of fresh blood in his mouth. "More gently, mister Scroop." The robot said as it took the controls and set the saucer in motion. "If he's too badly damaged, then you'll face Flint's displeasure and you remember how long it took to grow back that appendage he ripped off last time."

"I remember." Mister Scroop sullenly replied. Jim felt the choking pressure ease up a little.

"Where are you taking me?" Jim asked, twisting his head so he see the robot.

Mister Scroop growled softly as the robot replied. "Why to see Flint of course."

"I saw him once on the Annabelle Lee and that was enough. Where's the rest of my shipmates?"

Mister Scroop leaned closer to Jim. "Where you'll be soon, cabin boy. Food for the pterodactyls."

"What I don't understand." Jim said. "Why is Flint alive? I saw his skeleton sitting on a throne on a scooner at the center of this place and that ship was blown apart by some sort of energy beam."

The robot chuckled. "Flint is a Danubean and they are always born in pairs. Flint

never died, his brother did. Didn't you ever wonder where Flint's pirate ship was? That

schooner was certainly not it." He sent the craft rising higher and as he did so, a shadow

fell over them and it was immense. For several seconds they flew under it and then

they emerged and the robot swept the craft up until the whole shadow resolved itself into

a giant ship with ten guns on a side. "Behold, Annie's Revenge, the most powerful

pirate ship that ever existed."

"How come Flint's brother died, Diane? I thought you said the Park didn't kill." Jim thought at her.

"Who says he's dead?" Came the reply in his mind. "As for the skeleton, it's amazing what one can do with the image-engineering shops on this world." She paused. "So far I've experienced amazement and fear. When will we get to happy?"

"Soon. I hope." He thought, but he was afraid that would be a long time coming.

They landed on the deck and were immediately surrounded by the meanest looking group of thugs Jim had ever seen. They made the ones he had traveled with on the RLS Legacy look like choir boys. In fact several of them were ones from the RLS Legacy whom he'd seen falling to their deaths when they tried to prevent the launch of the escape boat. Several of the pirates were waving knives and shouting what they would do to various ones of his body parts. "Clear the way! Clear the way! Captain's orders." A voice shouted. Jim's heart slammed in his chest. It was a voice that he had not heard since he was eight.

"Oh." Diane's thought came. "This is a new feeling, in fact many entangled feelings like quantum states."

Reluctantly the pirates stepped aside to form an aisle and at the end of it sitting on a golden throne was Flint in all his six-eyed glory. But Jim's eyes were on the other man, if he could be called that, at Flint's right hand. All of his limbs were artificial and two thirds of his body was cybernetic except for the top of his head which looked just the same as the last time Jim had seen him. Mister Scroop forced Jim to his knees and cuffed him on the back of the head. "Eyes on the Captain, boy."

Flint raised a six fingered hand with each finger tipped with talons. "Let him be, Mister Scroop. After all how often does a boy get to meet a father he thought was dead?" He waved his other hand towards the cyborg. "Boy, meet my right hand and first mate, James Hawkins, who's sailed with me for twelve bloody years now. But you probably know him better as daddy dearest." He said mockingly.

"Last time I saw your face, I ran my hand through your hair." His father said. "I wish I had shot you down. I hoped I'd never see you or your shrew of a mother again, but you had to poke your nose in where it didn't belong."

"No." Jim said. But he could not deny his eyes or his hearing. It was his father.

"Your happiness on hearing his voice was too brief to be enjoyable." Diane said.

"Please, Diane, let me alone to deal with this. We'll talk later." He thought. Jim shook his head. Diane was right about his happiness. It was gone to be replaced by a rising rage.

His father turned to Flint. "Give me a minute with him, Captain, for old time's sake."

Flint laughed. "I'm feeling generous now we've the key bearer in our grasp, Mister Hawkins. Take two if you like. Make sure the boy knows what we expect."

Jim's father strode forward and grabbed him by the arm with strong metal fingers and it was like pinchers had been applied to his flesh. He dragged him off to the side where he slammed him against a cabin wall. His father crossed his metal arms and looked down at him and there was no love in his eyes. "Whelp, you got in the way that night at the Inn when you took the key that did not belong to you from that traitor Billy Bones who used to wield it for us. When he died, it bonded to you."

"Billy Bones had decided he could sell it to the Admiralty and when we found out he desperately fled to the Crescent. We almost got it back that night at the inn but then that cursed Long John Silver who coveted the key interfered and in the shootout the inn burned, killing all our men that we had sent after the traitor."

Jim said slowly. "Then the cyborg Billy Bones warned me about. It wasn't Silver." He came to his feet in a shout. "It was you!"

Jim's father smiled. "He knew well to fear me as should you. We sailed Annie's Revenge to the Crescent to recover the key but by bad luck missed your departure by a week. But now you are here, you will wield it for us or." He held up the segmented golden ball and tossed it to Jim.

"Or what?" Jim snarled as he caught the familiar ball-shaped key.

"Or die, boy, so the key can select its new wielder. The only reason you have a reprieve is that I took cells from you and I'm growing your clone to raise as my true pirate son without your mother's cursed interference and I must be sure it's healthy." He grabbed Jim painfully by the arm. "Come. Flint is waiting."


	12. The Song of the Stars

"Well?" The shovel-nosed alien said to Sarah Hawkins as he turned his cards over. "Can your full boat beat my royal suit? I don't think so." He reached out and raked the coins in. The others, including the Big Lizard, nodded and the sounds of conversation filled the room once more.

Sarah Hawkins got to her feet as she pushed back her chair. "Thank you, gentlemen for an entertaining evening. But I've reached my limit for the night."

"We'd be glad to lend you coins against your wages." A rat-faced being said.

"My father told me never to borrow for pleasure and my mother told me to know always when to quit. So, sadly, no. I bid you good evening, mates." She headed for the door. Something seemed to touch her for a second and then it was gone. She frowned. That was the second time that it had seemed as if someone was near her. She shrugged. The Rhino must've made her more jumpy then she'd realized.

The Big Lizard got to his feet. "Go. Engine. Room. Night." The players already had turned back to the game and the sounds of cards being shuffled were his only answer.

She turned as he came up to her. "Did you see anyone here a moment ago?"

He shrugged. "No." As they walked near the railing he said. "Play. Well. Two. Tells."

She stopped by the railing. "You could read me?"

He stopped too and leaned on the railing. "Yes. Good. Brush. Hair. Bad. Sigh."

"And you." She replied. "Twitch your tail slightly when bluffing."

He smiled. "Not."

"Yes, you do." She leaned on the railing with him and looked up at the star-filled sky. The ship was in warp and she could see each star moving slowly across the sky as if she was on a train passing house lights at night. She couldn't explain the physics behind it, but that didn't matter. "I never get tired of watching the stars move. They're so beautiful."

"Light. Beauty." He said. "Their. Song. Beautiful."

She turned her head to look at him and saw he was serious. "You can hear them?"

He nodded. "Chorus. Symphony." He tapped his skull. "Mentally. Beautiful."

She sighed. "I'd give a lot to hear like you do."

"Recorded. Share?" He looked at her as if afraid she would refuse.

"Thank you." She said. "I would like that." His eyes lit up.

He led her back to the engineering sector and after motioning her to a chair, he dug a small box with headphones out of a trunk. He placed the headphones on her head, and then held a finger up to his lips for silence as he twisted a small button on the box.

"Oh." She said as the sounds of the celestial spheres flooded her mind. It was as if the greatest symphony ever written was playing just for her. She was swept away on a rising chorus of angelic voices while instrumentals rose and fell, climbing higher each time, until they ended in a giant drum roll and clash of cymbals and then it started again in a new and different tune that reminded her of Bolero. And so it went for what seemed forever.

She shook her head as if coming out of a daze as he removed the headphones. "That was the almost incredible thing I've ever heard. Thank you for sharing it."

He grinned. "Only. You. Share." He paused. "No. Other. Silver."

"Long John Silver?" She asked.

"Yes." He said as he busied himself putting the box and headphones away.

"Did he enjoy it?"

He shrugged. "Yes. No. Dazed."

"I sympathize." She said. "It's quite overwhelming." She drew in a breath and let it out. "Can I ask you some questions about Long John Silver?"

"Yes. No." He said guardedly.

"You mean some you'll answer, but others you won't or can't." At his return nod, she continued. "Well, I'll take my chances. How did he get his cyborg parts?"

"He. Tell. Not. Me." He replied.

"Was he always a pirate?"

"No. Cook. Loss. Son. Wife. Pirate."

"So you're saying he was a cook and that he lost his wife and son and became a pirate?"

"Yes." He looked sad as he remembered.

And you won't tell me anymore than that, will you?" She asked.

"He. Tell." He replied and drew a finger along his lips and shook his head.

She thought a moment as she drummed her fingers on his bunk and nodded. Then she asked. "Did he sail with Flint?"

"All. Me. Silver. Orfeo. Flint. Boss." He clenched his fist. "Flint. Evil. Murderer. Torturer. Betrayer." He slapped his chest. "Flee. Silver. Me. Orfeo. Others. Vengeance. Gold."

She said softly. "I think I understand. You joined Flint for the gold, but he revealed himself to be such an evil person that you broke with him, but you still feel he owes you your share of the treasure."

"Yes. Owes. Treasure! Death!" He shook his fist and then becoming aware of her he looked abashed and hung his head. "Sorry."

"It's all right." She said. "I asked for it." She laid her hand on top of his. "If my opinion means anything, I think you and Silver have done things you regret but you are trying to be better than you were and that's all we can ask of a person."

He smiled at her. "Good. Shipmate." He frowned as he remembered. "Rhino. Bad. Shipmate. Promised. Overboard."

"I wonder what happened to him?" She said.

Back on the Crescent in the office of the Admiralty the officer with the monocle shook the Rhino's hand. "By Jove, with this information we'll soon have Silver and his gang behind bars. So, they're returning to Treasure Planet to load up with weapons and gold are they? Well we have the exact coordinates for that place and we'll be waiting for them in the star's asteroid belt with several ships and over a hundred guns. And when they're destroyed this will be your reward." He held up a small sack of gold for the lusting Rhino to look at.

"Just trying to be a good citizen." The Rhino grinned evilly. He just loved message drops. Flint was covering all bases.


	13. Flint's Plan

"Well, boy. Do you understand what we require of you?" Flint leaned forward on his throne. The silver robot stood on his left and Jim's father on his right.

Jim glared at him. "It's pretty obvious. You want me to operate the key so you can use your ship to rob and kill wherever you want."

"A delightful boy. A marvelous boy. An intelligent boy. But that's not all we require of you is it?" Flint took a long worm from a bowl of wiggling red hairy worms and sucked it down like a piece of spaghetti. He gestured to the robot. "Put up the shield, Mister Bexley. There is no need to share all this with the others." As he belched the robot nodded and pressed a button on the throne.

Jim frowned. "I don't know what you mean about requiring more. When I used it last time, it acted as a guide to the spot where we activated the wormhole door and the door opened wherever I touched in the map."

"Stupid boy. Ignorant boy. It's much more than that. It's the key for unlocking all the store houses of weapons the like of which no one has ever seen before in rooms all over this Treasure Planet. We've seen through the windows. There are ships there and weapons that if the tags on the doors are to be believed can crack a planet in two. With those in our grasp what is a little planet with its horde of coins that seem to fascinate my ignorant crew when we can rule the galaxy as kings."

"The writing in a thousand languages says. "Use the key to gain your heart's desire." He stood and raised his fist in triumph. "Emperor Flint the First. That's my heart's desire." He sank back in the chair. "Well, go ahead, boy. Open the key. Show us what it can do."

Jim jutted his jaw forward. "No."

"No? Did I hear right? Did he say no to his emperor?" Flint gestured to the robot. "Bexley, correct his error."

The robot raised his arm and a white beam shot from his pointed forefinger and slammed into Jim's shoulder. Jim gasped from the pain and went to his knees.

Flint growled. "That is a more appropriate position when facing your emperor. Now, use the key." When Jim glared at him, Flint smiled. "We can do this all night and I can have you beaten within an inch of dying and when we throw you back in the healing room, you'll be restored, so I can do it again and again and again." A fervid light shown in his eye.

Jim knew in that moment that Flint was insane and would do what he said. He began twisting and poking the ball. He found his motions were hampered by the pain in his shoulder but he finally got it right. Nothing happened. He tried again with the same result. "Come on, why won't it work? It should work." He complained desperately.

"Bexley, again." Flint said.

"No!" Cried Jim. "It's not working." The silver beam knocked him unconscious to the floor and the key rolled over by the robot's feet. His father yawned.

The robot knelt and picked up the key. He examined it closely before turning to Flint. "Captain, the boy appears to be correct. The readings I'm getting suggest that the key needs more time to reprogram itself."

Flint sighed. "What a waste of my valuable time. Very well, throw him back in the healing room. We'll continue tomorrow. In the meantime let's celebrate." He gestured to the robot who punched the button on the throne. Flint rose to his feet and held up his cup, filled to the brim with bubbling red liquor. "The key will soon activate, my loyal crew, and when it does you'll all be rich beyond your wildest fantasies with the treasures at the heart of this planet." The pirates roared their approval.

Jim awoke in the same room with his whole body throbbing. This time Diane was kneeling by the foot of his bed looking worried and apparently more substantial as he could feel her holding his hand. "Is that what it's like to be human? She asked. "I'm not sure I like it. You didn't mention anger, hate, rejection, despair, betrayal and." She shuddered. "The pain. I do not think I like the pain."

"No one does." He replied. "That's why we try to avoid it. Pain is to tell you what to avoid so you don't stick something like your hand in a fire and destroy the hand."

She frowned. "Or that you should give Flint what he wants to avoid the pain?"

"That's where being brave comes in." He replied. "Refusing to give in to someone like Flint when it's important not to can be one of the noblest actions a person can do."

"But you gave in." She said.

He sat up in the bed and groaned before he continued. "It was futile to not show him what I could do with the key as he already knew. I was playing for time."

"Oh." She said. "Even with pain you were executing a strategy but it went wrong."

"Boy, did it ever. I did not count on the key not working."

She took his hand and patted it. "That was one of the random variables that the Master Computer decided to insert to make the game more interesting. It was nothing that I wanted." She looked up as if listening. She nodded and turned back to him. "The Master Computer says that this state for the key will continue for a while longer. Also, it will allow me to begin healing you shortly."

Jim frowned. "I thought you were in charge."

"I am and I am not." She replied. "Think of me as the manager who runs this part of the park and the Master Computer as the overseer. I have to do what it says, but what it does not forbid, I can and will do."

Jim looked at her and it seemed there was something different about her. "I think this experience has changed you. Am I right?"

She looked worried. "I did not take this into account. By melding with you, I experienced everything. Not just what was happening now but everything you remember and some you do not consciously recall. I remember your mother and all the arguments you two had, but I also remember all the joys and happiness you two shared. I recall your first kiss from a girl and your joy at finding a true father in Long John Silver. I recall it all but there is still something missing and I need to find it."

He frowned. "Maybe you're missing what it really is like to be one of us. Riding inside me is like virtual reality or playing a game where you pretend to be human. It may seem exciting but you know it's not real and you can quit playing anytime you want. For it to be real to you the stakes for you would have to be real". He tried to get some comfort from the bed for his injuries and then looked over at her. "I'm sorry, Diane. To really know what you're missing you'd have to be really human and for a computer or its program I'm afraid that's just not going to happen."

Her eyes became intense and she started to say something, but broke off and looked up. "The Master says it's time to heal you."

"About darn time." Jim replied.

She touched his forehead. "Now sleep." Her face looking at him with concern was the last thing he remembered.


	14. Target Practice

"All right, gentlemen and ladies." Mister Arrow said as he paced back and forth on the bridge in front of the assembled crew. Four turtle aliens, Jeborah's grandchildren, stood with them. "We didn't have time for gun drill when we were in port, in fact we never had time to even select a full gun crew. That lack has been brought home to me by Sergeant Culbertson after the last incident and we're going to correct it. Sergeant Culbertson, they're all yours."

Sergeant Culbertson stepped forward and put his claw hands on his hips. "All right, listen up. We have five experienced gunners." He gestured at the four and at the Big Lizard. "And we are going to need three more just to man all the guns. In addition to that we are going to need backups. So guess what? You're all going to volunteer for gunnery practice and after we're done we'll select the three we need and the eight backups." He paused at one of the laser cannons and caressed it briefly. "I want you all to know how to fire one of these babies. It may just save all of our lives. Now divide up into groups of four for each gunner and do it smartly or we'll do it by my assignment and clean a lot of brass after we're done."

"Sergeant Culbertson sounds a lot like your brother, doesn't he, Mister Arrow?" Silver said as he watched the crew members sort themselves out.

"Aye, Captain, he does and there be the difference between Billy and me." Mister Arrow replied. "Billy always carried a big stick and used it. Me, I prefer a softer touch."

Silver smiled as he watched the others crowd around the turtles, leaving the Big Lizard looking sad, but then Sarah Hawkins stepped up and was the first in his line, getting a huge grin in return from him. Following her two of the women aliens, one looking like a vampire and the other a large tiger-striped feline, joined her, and they in turn were followed by a bear-like alien.

Silver thought about what Mister Arrow had just said and how his brother Billy's hard nose attitude had run him afoul of Mister Scroop and his cock-eyed sense of honor. "Maybe you should've been with us on the last trip, Mr. Arrow." Silver said as he turned back to talk to Orfeo. "It might've been better."

Mister Arrow shook his head and said softly. "That was a rough trip with Captain and First Mate commanding respect by force over a group of former pirates picked by that idiot Doctor. There was no way it was going to end in any way but bad. It's amazing that any of them made it back. Now, this trip is different. We weeded out the bad ones early and except for Orfeo and the Big Lizard you brought no pirates but you did bring marines. I like that." He turned back to watch the training.

After they were done and the crew was awaiting the results, Sarah Hawkins engaged the three who'd trained with her in conversation. The thin vampire-looking woman dressed in flowing green silks that seemed to go well with her white skin was Della Lillith from Lenster who was the ship's doctors, specializing in alien life forms, especially those that were most plant-like.

The tiger-striped feline woman dressed in a black vest and white trousers was Sasha Adoree from Heinlein. Adoree was a computer programming specialist who worked with the Big Lizard below decks. Her main job was to keep the systems functioning that kept the ship enclosed in a force bubble that allowed no gases to escape and recycled all the gas, liquid, and solid wastes back into useable materials through controlled chemical reactions. Part of her function was to make sure that all the necessary chemicals were present in amounts more than enough to keep the crew healthy and notify the Captain immediately if the amounts fell below certain levels.

The bear-like alien wearing a red vest and black trousers was Song Urdessa from Rodenberry. He manned the communication and detection systems and worked below decks in association with Adoree and it soon became apparent that he was very fond of her.

"So, Sasha, as a crew member dependent on what you do can I ask how we are doing for consumables?" Sarah asked partly because the preparations for departure had been so rushed and mostly because they'd had to leave at the start of what was supposed to be a shakedown cruise to find out what the problems were before they became life threatening.

Adoree blinked and hesitated. Finally, Lillith said. "Come on, Sasha. You've told me and you told the Captain and Mister Arrow. I see no purpose in hiding what will soon be common knowledge. When Adoree still hesitated, Lillith sighed. "Very well, I'll tell her. Sarah, there is no way to put this but bluntly. We are experiencing an unexpected rise in the use of chemical consumables such as oxygen and food. This is putting a strain on the system which then needs to draw more energy and energy is the most desperately needed consumable. If the drain continues we will not be able to reach our destination but will have to divert to get more energy."

"But it's not only energy being diverted for recycling consumables." Adoree said. "More energy is also going to waste recycling and disinfection than predicted. I calculated before we left all the energy that we would need but we are drawing thirty percent more."

It may be worse than that." Urdessa added. "Energy totals should have been well above our perceived needs since we threw that pirate overboard the night before we left and did not replace him. Energy needs should've been reduced, not increased." He growled in frustration.

"Maybe we have some stowaways." Sarah said, remembering the feeling of being watched and touched when no one was near.

"That was my first thought." Adoree replied. "And that was also the first thought of the Captain and Mister Arrow. However, after a complete search of the ship they found nothing out of the ordinary and they searched thoroughly both physically and electronically with Urdessa monitoring for them."

"We saw nothing." Urdessa growled. "No temperature, sound or light anomalies. Nothing. Which means the energy drain has got to be some mechanical or program glitch in the recycling system but Sasha and I can't find it."

"All right, people, listen up." The Sergeant said from the bridge above them. "Our three gunners will be Mr. Felix, Ms. Tomas, and Ms. Gerry. I want to thank you all for trying out and the gunners will be notifying their backups. We gave careful weight to your scores and your other duties. If there are problems let me or Mister Arrow know. You're dismissed."

"Well, that was quick." Mrs. Hawkins said as she turned to go.

She was stopped by the Big Lizard. He held up a score card with 375 circled in red and smiled as he said. "I. Good. Teacher. You. Backup."

"Oh, my." Was all she could say. It seemed like she had a battle station now.

Sarah Hawkins was tired that night but she couldn't fall asleep. Something was nagging at her about the consumable problem and she wouldn't sleep until she figured it out. It was like doing the books back at the Inn. If something had been overlooked then the books wouldn't balance and she'd stay up half the night until she figured it out. She turned on the small overhead light as she sat up and called up her personal computer screen with a whispered vocal command.

The Big Lizard grunted from his bunk opposite her and opened one eye. "Problem?" He asked.

He had to be the lightest sleeper she'd ever known and she'd known a lot of them at the Inn. "It's all right. I just can't sleep. Go back to bed."

He grunted but did not turn over. Even though his eyes were closed, she could sense he was still watching. "My silent protector, a former pirate." She thought. "How ironic." But he'd already saved her once and she was thankful for his presence. But come to think of it, Long John Silver had been a pirate and she trusted both. "Not the life you imagined for me, Mom." She said softly.

Thinking of her Mother made her sad but also brought up memories of her Mom trying to drum the ship building trade into her. "It's weight, Sarah." Her Mother would say over and over again. "It's weight that is not the ship builder's friend unless you use it to help you."

There were a lot more admonitions to the tirade but she put them aside as something seemed to coalesce in her brain. "It's weight or I should say mass. That's how we can detect them if they're here." She whispered. She punched up her computer display and sent an email to Adoree who almost immediately responded. Sarah explained her idea and finished up with. "I think we need to rig up some mass detectors, especially ones triggered by movement." She never got to hear the reply as a horrified unseen watcher reacted.

A hand seized her throat cruelly and another blocked her mouth, cutting off all air. Without thinking she jabbed the rigid fingers of her right hand over her shoulder where a head should be and felt something give. For a moment the hand over her mouth loosened. "Help!" She cried. There was a blow and a searing pain in her shoulder.

Without a sound the Big Lizard shot out of his bunk. He could not see anyone who was fighting with her but from her muffled sounds and position in the bunk he knew the assailant was behind her and he could tell its location from the way it was dragging her out of the bed. He grabbed both of them but mostly the body of the assassin.

He ripped her free of the unseen being's arms and then straddling it he began to pummel it as hard as he could. His fists rose and fell like pile drivers. There was a shriek from the unseen assailant and two sharp pains in his side as a knife plunged in and out. He ignored the two stab wounds as they touched nothing vital and kept pounding until with a final shriek it finally stopped moving and then he gave it several more blows to be sure, smiling grimly as he heard bones break.

He looked up at Sarah who was leaning against his bunk. She was bleeding from both shoulder areas and her pajamas were soaked with blood. She reeled and started to collapse but he caught her before she hit the deck. He spoke quickly to his embedded computer. "Medical. Emergency. Stabbing. Hawkins. Crew. Quarters. Four." A red light began to flash, a klaxon began to blare, and a voice over the loudspeakers began to shout. "Life threatening medical emergency. Doctor Lillith to Crew Quarters four." It then continued to repeat itself.

The whole bunk area was a scene of mass confusion as crewmates rushed over. Two of them knelt beside Sarah and began applying compresses to stop the bleeding. She caught one of them by the arm and whispered. "Cloaked assassins. Mass sensors." She lapsed into unconsciousness.

A big Armadillo of an alien slapped two compresses on the Big Lizard's wounds and someone shouted for Mister Arrow and another for the doctor. This was all silenced by a familiar bellow.

"What's going on here?" Mister Arrow dressed in a loosely fitting night shirt demanded. He took in the blood-strewn scene and shouted over his command frequency. "Doctor, get here now. We have multiple stabbings!"

The Big Lizard slipped a hand free for a moment, pointed at the body on the floor and managed to rasp out. "Murderer!"

Mister Arrow looked down and his eyes widened as they took in the being only seeable by the blood covering its body. He turned to two huge crewmen. "Take that thing and throw it in the brig."

"Not to medical?" One asked.

"Crew to medical first!" He snapped. "It can wait its turn in the brig."

"Good." The other snarled as he and his companion roughly seized the attacker and jerked him off the floor. "If you're alive, scum, I hope you wait forever after what you did to our mates."

As they dragged it out, leaving a trail of blood, Lillith came rushing through the door with a floating medical wagon behind her. She took the situation in quickly, knelt besides them, stripped off their clothes, checked their wounds, sprayed a fixative to stop the bleeding, and then ordered them placed on the now expanded cart. The cart promptly extended a multitude of wires and sensors, took readings and then began injecting vital fluids depending on the species all the time while Lillith ran beside it on the way to the medical bay. She almost ran Long John Silver down as he came to the door.

Silver's face blanched when he saw who was on the cart. "Sarah. Mother of God." He turned and said fiercely. "Mister Arrow, who's responsible for this?"

"Cloaked assassins, Sir. But Ms. Adoree tells me that Mrs. Hawkins told us how to find them. We were idiots to not think of mass detectors. But don't worry. With your permission I will organize a search party and we'll hunt down these invisible murderers."

"And don't be gentle when you've found them, Mister Arrow." Silver snarled. "If any of them live, I intend to hang each and every one." Morph made a slicing motion under his chin and his head fell off. "If you want me, Mister Arrow, I'll be in Medical." He strode off with two pieces of Morph hurrying after him.

Later Long John Silver stood outside the window to the small medical bay watching the two being tended by Lillith and her medical robots. After a while Lillith washed her hands, sighed, leaned back against a wall and then triggered her communicator. "Captain." She said. "The big Dronian should recover completely as nothing vital was cut. Mrs. Hawkins is another matter. Two of her wounds are not life threatening but the other one almost pierced her heart and she lost a lot of blood. Shock is my biggest concern. You may as well get some rest as we won't know until tomorrow how she's doing."

Silver shook his head and triggered his communicator. "Thank you, Doctor, but I intend to keep watch here all night."

Lillith frowned. "It'll do no good to stand watch all night, Captain. It'll not help them."

"Doctor, you forget that they were attacked by cloaked assassins." He said. "And we have no guarantee there are not more of them." He brandished his sword. "The whole crew is looking for them and if more come here, seeking to finish what they started, I intend to cut them to pieces for what they did to her." The doctor shook her head and went back to her patients. Silver looked up at Morph. "Mister Morph, I have a job for you."

Morph snapped to attention. "Aye, aye." He squeaked.

"Spread yourself thinly around the corridor and the door. Let me know if anyone you can't see touches you." Morph saluted and vanished. Silver smiled grimly and ran a finger down his blade. "I pray that one of them does, Morphy. I certainly do."

Lillith continued to work while he stood guard. If she found it ironic that she who looked like a vampire was trying to save lives or that a formerly murderous pirate consumed with rage and sorrow was protecting them, she did not acknowledge it.

Sometime about 4 bells, Silver who despite his vows was just nodding when a small version of Morph squeaked loudly in his ear. "What is it Mister Morph? Is there someone here?" Morph squeaked again in the affirmative. Silver triggered his electronic sight and saw nothing. "Where are they, I can't see a thing."

Morph squeaked in terror and plastered his body over the face of the unseen attacker which revealed it had a bird head and Morph jerked it backwards just as it lunged at Silver. The bird alien's sword just nicked Silver's arm as its aim was spoiled. Silver lunged with his sword and then ripped upwards against the resistance. Blood flew and there was a thud as a body hit the floor.

With a snarl of rage Silver shouted. "Are there more, Morph?" Morph formed a one and then an arrow pointing at the door to the medical bay. The lights on the entrance pad were lighting up as something that was unseen keyed in the code. Silver started forward as he growled. "I don't see a thing, but I can see you, Morph." His eyes got a savage look. That's it! Attach all your individual selves to him. That ought to make him visible!"

Silver strode forward as a swarm of midget Morphs concentrated in one area near the door to Medical. They outlined an invisible figure, revealing it to be about six feet tall with a head like an alligator and carrying a wicked sword in one hand while the other hand was withdrawing from the now active pad. The door chimed. Behind the opening door the Doctor screamed.

Silver charged. The gator seemed to realize he had been compromised. He pulled his pistol out of his sash and raised it pointing it point-blank at Silver. "I'm using the wrong weapon." Silver thought just before a hundred tiny Morphs their bodies shiny like mirrors swarmed down the entrance to the pistol. A second later the pistol exploded from the feedback from the hundreds of reflectors filling the barrel. The gator screamed in pain as it cast aside the ruined pistol and frantically raised its sword as Silver descended on it like the wrath of God.

The clash of the swords echoed down the hall. The gator got in two quick blows but his strength was nothing to that of the enraged former pirate. On the third clash his sword went flying and the next blow driven by cyborg strength and rage took off his head. The head bounced at Silver's feet as the blood-spouting body collapsed to the floor.

Silver stared at it as the blood revealed it. He spat on it and then wiped his sword on his sash. "Too quick, Morphy." He growled. "For what they did to her, it deserved to suffer." Morph nodded and then went back into dot mode again without being told. "You're learning, Morphy." He said. "Better than I'm doing."

He turned to face the shocked Doctor who was looking through the window after relocking the door. "And that's why I'm here, Doctor." He snarled. "I'll kill anyone who tries to harm her. Now, go to complete lock down." She hurriedly obeyed.

He keyed his communicator. "Mister Arrow."

"Yes, Captain?" Came the reply.

"We had a security breach at Medical. Both assassins are dead. Send a security detail if you can, otherwise I think Mister Morph and I can hold them. How is the hunt going?"

"We have them cornered, Captain. By the nebula we somehow missed those two. They must've been hiding in the riggings. I'll have all the riggings searched. In the meantime I'm sending a four person detail as we no longer need the numbers we started with. Thank goodness, you were there."

Silver grinned maliciously. "Goodness had little to do with it, Mister Arrow. Silver out."

Even after the security detail arrived, Silver and Morph kept their vigil. There were no more incidents. Two more crew members came and took away the pieces. Finally, just at seven bells Mister Arrow appeared. He saluted and said. "I have a report, Captain, on our stowaway situation."

"Let's have it, Mister Arrow." Silver sighed. "How badly did I screw up this time by not realizing they were aboard?"

"We all did, Sir. No one could've imagined that invisible fiends undetectable except for their consumption of supplies like rats after a grain bin would be aboard. No one could've predicted it."

Silver shook his head. "That does not absolve me, Mister Arrow. I should've predicted he'd try and kill her. I deluded myself after the first attack but after this one I have no doubt that he's the one behind this."

Mister Arrow frowned. "He, Sir? Certainly Flint has a lot to answer for."

"It's not Flint she has to worry about." Silver replied. "Flint would want her alive to force her son to cooperate. It's my fault because I assumed the one who hated her most was dead and she was safe. She's paying for that assumption, but I swear it will not be an iota of what the Dark Man will pay."

"The Dark Man?" Mister Arrow snorted. "Flint's first mate is a boogie man to scare children."

"Oh he's real, Mister Arrow. His handiwork is right before you." He gestured towards the sick bay and they watched the two blanket covered patients silently for a time.

Mister Arrow shook himself. "I still have my report, Sir." At Silver's nod he continued. "Thanks to Mrs. Hawkins information that they can be tracked by their mass or weight, Ms. Adoree was able to detect in which parts of the ship they were and she rigged up some handheld detectors for us. Using sonic fields set at high intensities we herded them before us like sheep before wolves. We sustained several minor wounds but we cornered them at last in a storage hold where they barricaded themselves ready to make us pay dear for their capture."

Silver growled. "The loss of one more of the crew would be too much to pay."

Mister Arrow smiled grimly. "There we think alike, Captain. Rather than fight what we could not see, I had Ms. Adoree cut off all the oxygen to the hold. It took three hours but they all succumbed. We revealed their bodies by spraying paint on them. There were five of different species, all dead. We confiscated their cloaking devices. The Admiralty will be very interested in them. Also, on one of the bodies we found a picture of Mrs. Hawkins with an X drawn through it." He shook himself. "You may be right about the Dark Man but those five if they were his minions will do no more harm."

"And the one in the brig?" Silver asked.

"Dead, Sir. He had all his ribs broken and driven into his lungs and heart." Mister Arrow shook his head. "I would never want to have the Big Lizard mad at me. Not after seeing this."

"Now, the big question is how they got aboard, Mister Arrow.

Mister Arrow sighed. "Well, Captain, I have to thank Henry for explaining that. Go ahead Henry." Mister Arrow directed.

Henry's image appeared. "It was a most interesting problem. But I determined that the AMW explosion from the pirate ship was a diversion. That was why it never struck the ship as that would've compromised the boarding party. As soon as the Sergeant dropped the screen to fire the missile, the cloaked boarders came aboard. Their stealth cloaks prevented me from seeing their approach or passage through the screen. I have changed the size of the aperture and it won't happen again, Captain." He vanished.

"Not one for chit chat, is he, Mister Arrow." Silver said.

Mister Arrow shook himself. "I have a feeling he's even weirder than any alien we've ever met, Captain."

"And the consumable situation?" Mister Arrow hesitated. "Come on, Mister Arrow, will we have to divert to a gas giant and a variable star?"

Mister Arrow held himself at attention. "I'm happy to report, Captain, the consumable situation will soon be under control. We may have to take on some energy at a variable, but all chemicals will be in balance shortly."

Silver looked over at him with a raised eyebrow as he rubbed the reconstituted, sleepy Morph's head. "And how will you achieve this seeming miracle, Mister Arrow?"

"Expediency, Sir." Mister Arrow replied still standing at attention. "I am having all the corpses fed to the recyclers."

Silver scratched his chin and then grinned. "Mister Arrow, you have the makings of a very fine pirate."

Mister Arrow frowned. "There is no need to be insulting, Captain."

"Consider it a compliment, Mister Arrow. Sometimes one has to play both roles, the hero and the pirate. Them that hides inside what they call civilization doesn't understand this, but we who live out here do." He sighed. "Now I'll have to play a third role."

"A third role, Sir?" Mister Arrow managed to look puzzled even while at attention.

"If she wakes, I have to tell her the truth." He said slowly. "It's what she deserves."

Sarah Hawkins first awareness was of a bright light. For a second she wondered if she had died, but then the light was revealed to be the doctor's hand light as she examined her. "Too bright." She croaked.

The light snapped off and then Lillith's smiling face filled her field of view. "Good to have you back with us, Sarah. You gave us all a huge scare, but the Captain the most of all. Now maybe I can get him to stop coming by every hour to check on you."

"He did?" She whispered.

Lillith nodded. "Now I can order him to bed. He's exhausted because until we caught all the cloaked sons of a dog, Captain Silver and his shape shifter stood guard all night and he killed two assassins, one in the hall and another who almost got in here. Mister Arrow believes we got them all. So you should be safe now." She paused to read some data off the bed console and then continued. "I think you could have a sip of water, but not too deeply the first time." She pressed a button on the bed and it rose softly to a gentle slope.

Sarah gratefully drank part of the small cup and then asked. "My Dronian friend who came to my rescue. How is he?"

Lillith pointed a pale hand to Sarah's right. "See for yourself. Mister Balone's healing fast but what can you expect from Dronians?"

Sarah managed to turn her head slightly and saw him with bandages around his middle sitting up in the next bed playing a game on his floating computer with the small lights flashing in the air in front of him. He grinned at her and held a thumb up very emphatically. "Thank you, again." She said weakly. "You're making a habit of this." He smiled and slapped his heart area and then pointed at her before he slapped the same spot on his chest. "I don't understand." She said. "But I like you too."

Lillith sighed. "I'm afraid you have a friend for life. When a Dronian cares enough to help you, then they feel they are responsible for you. This goes far beyond that since he's saved your life twice now. The closest analogy I can come up with is that he's declared you a pack sister and an adopted daughter and that doesn't even begin to cover it. There are some who claim that members of a Dronian pack can communicate without speaking and move as one. But you're human so you probably won't get to test that legend out." She looked at another reading from the bed monitor. "Now I'm going to insist you go back to sleep as you're still healing. The next time you can have a little broth and some more conversation." She pressed another button and for Sarah the lights went out again.

Long John Silver and Mister Arrow were deep in discussion in the Captain's cabin when Lillith's update arrived. "Thank you, doctor, that is indeed good news." Silver said. Behind his back Morph became living fireworks.

Mister Arrow relaxed slightly for the first time in days. "Thank the gods who listen to prayers." He said softly. "The crew will be glad to hear it. I had not realized how deeply they had taken her into their hearts."

"There is little to understand, Mister Arrow." Silver replied as he got up to fetch a drink which he ladled with some whiskey. He offered some to his First Mate who declined with a wave of his hand. Silver sat down. "She became one of them, worked with them, took no airs, and suffered what they suffered without complaint when she could've by rights sat above them and when she stayed after the Rhino's attack that just confirmed their opinions. Right now they'd kill for her."

"They almost did." Mister Arrow said softly. "If I hadn't come up with cutting off the oxygen to those villains, the crew would've stormed the hold and torn them limb from limb."

Silver sipped his drink and smiled. "Which means you did kill for her, Mister Arrow." When his First Mate started to sputter out an explanation, Silver waved his hand. "It's alright, Mister Arrow, keep your illusions intact. Now about the energy situation. Have you come up with some suitable stars for harvesting energy that are close enough?"

Mister Arrow got to his feet. "With your permission, I think I'll take that drink, Captain."

Silver graciously waved his hand and waited until Mr. Arrow had reseated himself before asking again. "The variable star candidates, Mister Arrow?"

"There are three. I had Ms. Adoree and Mr. Urdessa run all the files and take repeated observations. Our best choice is Sigmadon X4. It is due to go into its energy release pattern in ten days and we can reach it in three which gives us plenty of time to spread the photon nets so we can begin harvesting. Our other two choices are much further away and we would have to wait longer for the energy release."

"Let's do it and, Mister Arrow, can you tell me why I keep having the urge to say 'make it so'."

Mister Arrow grinned. "I've not served under a Captain yet that has not voiced that complaint. Its origin has been lost in the far past." He got up. "With your permission, I'll tell Mister Orfeo to make the course changes."

"Make it so, Mister Arrow." Silver said with a grin. "Make it so."

After Mister Arrow left, he put his face in his hands and wept in relief that she was safe.


	15. Photon Harvesting

Sarah sat in her floating support chair as the Big Lizard walked beside her. She had finally convinced Lillith to let her come on deck so she could at least see some of the harvesting process. Urdessa walked on the other side of her and spoke into a small communicator which updated him on the progress of the small boats laying out the net. Adoree was busy below with the AI and the Doctor had begged off. Already the net stretched for nearly a million kilometers on a side. Urdessa had explained it was made of quantum particles which were all entangled and been laid by millions of busy quantite machines which made nanites look like sky scrapers. Sarah raised a hand to her eyebrows and frowned. "I can't see anything." She complained.

The Big Lizard chuckled as Urdessa said. "They are too small to be seen by the unaided eye. You'll see them when the star lights up. Then the whole web glows and it's, it's amazing."

Silver came up the stairs and joined them. "Ready, everyone? It's about to start."

"Really?" She looked in the direction of the star which was a small disk in the sky. "I don't see any change."

"Very soon, now." He replied. "Ms. Adoree says that in about five seconds the first wave of photons will reach us."

As they watched the star dimmed and then brightened. The light grew and grew until she had to shade her eyes and could no longer look at it.

"Over there behind you." Urdessa said. "You can see the net forming."

She turned in the seat and saw the whole sky was blazing as each photon was absorbed and then the lines of the net pulsed as each photon was retransmitted along the net. It was like being in a dome of light. The pulses grew in intensity and then the carbon nanofiber conductor wire lying over the bow of the ship began to glow and pulse as energy flowed into the atomic batteries.

"We are not totally efficient of course." Urdessa told her. "The stray emissions are why you can see the net."

Silver checked his computer clock. "We should have about one hour to reach full charge and then we'll pull in the net and leave before the hot flare particles reach us." He looked over at her with concern. "If you are tired, we'll escort you back."

"No." She said. "This is the most glorious sight I've ever seen." Tears were trickling down the corners of her eyes. "Thank you, all my friends, for sharing this with me." They all stood and silently watched the net glow and pulse.

Later as Mister Arrow and the Captain sat in conversation, planning their approach to the Treasure Planet, Mister Urdessa and Ms. Adoree interrupted them. "Captain." Urdessa said. "Ms. Adoree and I have something you need to see." At a wave of Silver's hand he brought out several thin disks about four inches in diameter from inside a pocket and laid them on the table.

"And these are, Mister Urdessa?" Mister Arrow asked as he picked one up and spun it between his fingers.

"Personal computers that belonged to the assassins, Sir." Urdessa replied. "It was actually Ms. Adoree who thought they might have a cloaked stash of equipment and thought of a way to locate it using the mass detectors. We found this and a lot more behind one of the energy converters."

Silver picked up one of the disks. "Can you read what's on them?"

Ms. Adoree smiled. "Henry says they're childishly simple and not worth his time. They're written in Federated code and accessed by Federated accessing protocols. They aren't even encrypted. I've already read two of them and they contain command directives from the man who wants Sarah Hawkins dead."

Mister Arrow frowned. "Flint?"

"No, sir. The directives are from the Dark Man, himself".

"I knew it!" Silver cursed.


	16. Diane's Choice

This time Diane did not dissolve herself and go back into her computer world of flashing 1s and 0s as soon as Jim fell asleep. She sat there thinking about what he had said. About how she could not comprehend humans unless she became a flesh and blood one. For a moment she wondered how her ageless life had come down to this. She had told Jim that she was the manager of the game, but that wasn't true completely. She was more the adventure planner. In order to give each guest the ultimate game experience at the park she had to completely emphasize with each being. This meant she had to understand what they wanted out of their experience and how to give it to them even if they couldn't verbalize what they wanted.

In the early years of the park, species she knew well from long experience kept coming back to Treasure Planet and it was easy to cater to their needs. Then came a period when no one came and this lasted a hundred of years. She later learned from the one battered refugee who found his way there that the whole civilization had fallen when some hackers had released a terrible computer virus that had spread and crashed all the computer systems and this had been followed by a war over the limited resources. The virus had been purged and now civilization was rising again slowly.

It must've not risen back to its former glory or the virus had come back, because except for the one refugee she never saw that species again, and more than a thousand years passed before another ship came to visit her. A thousand years she could spend reliving old games and trying to figure out how she could've made them better. After thirty years she ran out of iterations and mostly slept in rest mode, but during that time which was much longer than the periods between necessary maintenance and refreshes planned by her creators, she found she was changing. Later she realized that it was like evolution. Programming errors crept in from radiation or random noise and since the maintenance program only corrected them if they interfered with her function and accepted them if they improved it, over nine hundred years she accumulated a lot of software changes which hadn't been weeded out by the maintenance programs to become something new. She had not realized what had happened until she was awakened because a ship had finally come. It was during her reactions to the ship's appearance that she realized that she had undergone changes never intended by her creators and that she was now aware of her own existence.

To her amazement the space ship looked like an old sailing ship and was manned by many different species. By making adjustments she found she could read their minds too and arranged suitable games to fit their desires. The one named Nathaniel Flint and his brother, Dago Flint, were the simplest. All they desired was treasure that they did not have to work for and wanted the adventure of stealing it from hundreds of worlds. To make that dream work the Master Computer had given them the key and the worm holes but did not make it too easy, and since what is not earned is not respected, they gave the key limitations. She found these players to be extremely boring with their limited minds and even limited life experiences which for the most part had been bad. It was then she realized that she knew they were boring because she had an awareness that allowed her to compare the earlier grand games to their little, sordid ones. She was wondering whether she should just go back to sleep when he came, the ultimate player.

He was like a shooting star blazing across the skies of her boredom. The Doctor and the Captain were also exquisite and wonders to behold as was the very complex Long John Silver, but it was Jim Hawkins who caught her imagination and set her on fire. It was like having the finest Champaign to drink after having only mineral water. She followed every move and rooted for his successes and booed when he suffered reverses. She applauded his grand escape with his friends and it was only after he left that she suffered a terrible letdown. She wanted him back and did not know how to do it. She read James Hawkins desire for a clone of his son and considered that as a means to get a copy of Jim back but found she couldn't do it. It was then she realized she was developing a moral code based on the old game park rule that the customer is a visitor here, not a prisoner.

She could only hope that James Hawkins' obsession would bring his son back. It was when the Master Computer threw in the workings and ownership of the key as a story element and Flint demanded Jim be brought back here immediately that her hopes and excitement reached new heights exceeded only when the ultimate player returned.

And now she was facing the ultimate challenge. Jim had told her that her empathy was worth nothing without actually experiencing what it was to be human. It made her question all her previous games. Had they been marred and made shallow because she did not really understand the players as people? Was she willing to leave her solitary existence and play one game for real with all its consequences with this ultimate player?

She looked over at Jim and when she found her hand without thought brushing his forelock that she realized what she had to do.

She was just completing her preparations when a voice said. "So, you're really going to do it? Become human I mean."

"Yes, Master Computer." She looked up at his flowing image dressed in flowing robes. A light saber was tucked in his belt. "Do you intend to forbid it?"

"No, I plan to use it. I will give you access to several information programs you'll need that I see you haven't thought of and allow you to communicate with them when the need arises. However, you'll not remember you have them and think that the information is from your own memories. There is a great crisis coming, little one, and I'll need your help. But you will not remember this conversation until I give you the code word, WALT." He vanished.

Diane shook her head. What had just happened? She frowned. Maybe it was part of being human. She gave the replicators their last instructions.

Several hours later Mister Scroop stood drooling with anticipation outside the healing room door. He couldn't wait to get his claws on that upstart cabin boy. Maybe this time Captain Flint would be generous and let him cut off the boy's head. The door slid open and he rushed inside to be met by a sword point shoving his face back so that he scrambled and fell with all his claws flailing about.

He looked up in amazement as a woman warrior with glowing red hair showing under the bottom of her silver helmet stepped out of the room with a sword pointed at his guts. She had a silver breast plate covered with runes that ended at a short white skirt, a very serviceable shield with a dragon rampart on her left arm, and two pistols in her belt. Behind her Jim stood there with his jaw dropping. He certainly had not expected this.

The woman grinned and there was nothing friendly about it. "There's been a change in the plot, Mister Scroop." She said.

"Diane, is that you?" Jim asked.

In answer she tossed him a fully charged laser pistol. "Let's play this game our way."


	17. Time to Come Clean

Sarah Hawkins was leaning on the railing watching the stars drift by as the warp drive hummed softly. She was so glad to finally be out of the medical bay. Though she wasn't cleared for a return for duty she had been told to get a reasonable amount of exercise and a lot of rest by Doctor Lillith and she'd decided to take it on deck. She was well aware of the big Dronian leaning against the wall behind her and knew she would not get rid of him easily now that he'd declared her his sister of the heart. She wondered if she would ever get rid of him and found that she really didn't want him to leave. Later she would have to ask him for another star-song recording. It would be good to listen to when she retired. She noticed a new shadow detach itself from the darkness and with a wave to the Dronian walk up to the rail to join her.

"And how are you this glorious night, Mrs. Hawkins?" Long John Silver said as he cuddled Morph against his far cheek.

"Much, much better now." She replied as she stretched out the kinks. "And I think after all we've been through, Mrs. Hawkins and Mister Silver are a little too formal for the like of us outside of duty hours. Don't, you think?"

"Aye, you have the right of that, Sarah Hawkins." He replied with a small grin.

"Just Sarah will do and what should I call you? Long John or just John?" She said as she returned his smile.

"I'll leave that in your capable hands, Sarah." He replied as he tucked a sleepy Morph into a coat pocket.

"I think I like John." She said after a moment. "It's simpler." She leaned a little against the railing and said. "Shortly after we first met I believe you told me that the name of your ship that was destroyed by Flint's men was the Mary Anne."

"Aye, that I did." He replied wearily.

"And my middle name is Mary Anne also." She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Coincidence, my blood-thirsty rescuer?"

He looked at her for a long time as if seeking some answer in her eyes before he replied. "No." He leaned back on the railing and tipped his hat back. "It's a long tale, it is, Sarah, and it may be distressing. Do you think you're strong enough to hear it yet?"

She considered this for a moment and then took his hand. "Come back to my recovery room and I'll lie down while you tell it."

"Sarah, I…" He stuttered in embarrassment.

"Oh, John, what a chivalrous attitude for a former pirate." She gestured over at the Big Lizard who had stepped away from the wall. "For the last two weeks I've been away from my friend here only to use the necessities. We'll be chaperoned. Better believe it."

Silver looked over at the Big Lizard who grinned, showing several very sharp teeth. "I think we will be, I really do." He replied.


	18. A New game

"Diane." Jim said as he pointed the pistol at Mister Scroop. "What are you doing here?"

She pulled off the silver helmet and shook out her red hair before she grinned at him. "I took your advice and now I've joined the game."

Her face almost took his breath away. It was so different from the image he'd become use to, more alive. Mister Scroop tried to take advantage of his preoccupation and started to get slowly to his feet. Jim frowned and pressed a button on the pistol and the laser whined. "Uhn, uh." He said. Mister Scroop held up two claws and grinned sheepishly. Jim turned back to the smiling Diane. "My advice? And what would that have been?"

"That I could not emphasize with humans and understand them without being human myself." She pivoted slowly in a circle with her arms outspread. "So here I am. Human." She brought her hands up and clasped them under her chin in her excitement. "You were right. It's so amazing. I can see and hear and touch. It's so much more than when I was experiencing it riding inside you. The sky is bluer. The plants are greener. The scents are stronger." She paused and wrinkled up her nose and pointed at Mister Scroop. "Especially from him."

Jim gave a snort and a small grin touched the corner of his lips. "Yeah, he does have that effect on people."

Mister Scroop snarled but made no move as Jim's pistol never wavered from the target. Finally, cautiously Mister Scroop looked directly at them. "What are you going to do with me?"

Jim rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know. We can't just let you go, you'll bring Flint down on us in minutes. And we can't just stand here. I'm sure that robot will come looking." He grinned maliciously. "The best thing we could do is shoot you."

Mister Scroop was no coward. He thrust his jaw out. "Do it, cabin boy, but be sure you don't miss, for if you do…." He let the statement speak for itself.

Diane came over and crouched down with her hands on her knees and looked straight at him. "What Jim needs is information which you can provide. You know everything about Flint and his plans." It was not a question.

Mister Scroop shrugged. "Not everything. I'm not part of the inner circle. But what I know is a lot." He smiled maliciously. "But I think you just ran out of time."

"Mister Scroop, are you playing with your food? You know Captain Flint will be displeased." The silver robot came around a corner in the path. He froze, taking in the three figures. He immediately brought his finger laser up.

Mister Scroop started to scramble to his feet and Jim shot him in a shoulder, knocking him back on the sand but before Jim could even turn Diane had thrown herself to the side and drawn her pistol. The robot's beam missed and scattered sand in her face. Ignoring the pain from her watering eyes she fired a series of shots trying to make up for her blurry vision. The first and third missed but that didn't matter as the second took him in his bucket shaped head.

Sputtering and hissing from electric discharges he pitched face forward into the sand. Diane got to her feet and after a glance to see that the robot was not getting up she got to her feet and turned with the pistol in her right hand. She pointed it at Mister Scroop whose mouth was hanging open. "I think we just bought ourselves an extension."

Jim looked over at the robot and saw the car keys dangling from a hook on its side. "And I think Flint has just provided us with a ride too."


	19. The Past is Always the Prolog

"Mister Arrow." Silver said into his communicator outside the door. "If you need me, I'll be visiting with our patient and her friend."

"Shouldn't be any problem, Captain. I'll be in Communications with Mister Urdessa and Henry. We're trying to see if we can pick up any signs of Flint." Mister Arrow replied. "We'll let you know if there's anything to report. Arrow out."

"A diamond in the rough, Morphy." Silver said to his sleeping companion in his shirt pocket. "That's what our Mister Arrow is."

He tapped on the door communicator. The Big Lizard stood behind him, watching. "Are you ready for us, Sarah?"

"Yes." Came her reply. "You can come in now." The door slid open to reveal her sitting up in her bed with the covers drawn up to her waist. She was wearing a white gown. Two big chairs were facing the bed. Around the room's perimeter various colored lights from idle medical equipment winked.

The Big Lizard pulled one chair over by the door and sat in it. Anybody coming through the door would have to deal with him first. Silver took his hat off and placed it on a small table before he sat facing her. He swallowed. She was so pretty that even recovering from her injuries she could send his heart racing, but she was still injured. "Are you sure you're up to this, Sarah? It can wait if it has to."

"No." She replied. "It's waited long enough. I suggest you begin at the beginning."

He sighed and took out his handkerchief and wiped sweat from his brow. "It all begins back on my home world where I grew up and became what you would call a master chef. I did not think I could be happier until I met Brianna, the woman who became my wife and bore me a son, Daniel. The gods must hate happiness because within a year both were taken from me in a cruel, meaningless accident." He looked away to hide a tear trickling down his cheek. He wiped it away.

"I'm sorry." She said and he could see she meant it.

He nodded and continued. "What followed was worse. I went insane. In fact it was quite a long time before I sobered up enough to realize I was in a back alley on a planet I'd never seen before. The only thing that woke me was the sword poking into my ribs. I looked up to see seven of the meanest looking men I'd ever seen. One of them asked me if I had any money on me and when I proved to them I was broke, they decided to have a little sport and kill me. That was fine with me. I only wanted to die."

"When I attacked they laughed. They stopped laughing after I threw the third one against the wall. They drew their pistols and we're going to finish me when their leader stopped them. He reminded them they needed new recruits and I could be more valuable if I joined them. I told them why the blazes not and that was how I became a pirate and met James Hawkins.

"You met James?" Sarah leaned forward. "When was this?"

Silver rubbed the back of his head. "I can't be certain but it was several years before he married you. I can remember the time a few years later when he showed me a picture of what he called his new doxie and that she was going to breed a string of new pirates for him."

"James, a pirate?" She shook her head in bewilderment. "He told me her served as a guard on a merchantman." She shook her head again. "I was so gullible at eighteen and when I met him at the Crescent I had just had a huge fight with my parents and was so angry at my mother and father that I rebelled against everything they had taught me and bought James' whole story as a way to hurt them. Oh, I hurt them alright, but I hurt myself even more. What a fool I was,"

"There, there, Lass." Silver told her. "You weren't the first or the last to fall for the line that James liked to string, but it was different for him that time. Unlike the others he married you and in his own way I think he cared for you as much as his heart would let him care for anyone other than hisself. He was especially proud when you gave birth to his son, and he swore that one day a pirate like Flint would notice him and then he'd stand tall next to Flint with his own son at his shoulder, but then everything changed after he was wounded."

She frowned. "Wounded? I never knew he'd been hurt."

"At first he said he didn't want you to know until he'd healed and then afterwards when he couldn't recover and become the man he'd been, he began to lose it." Silver sighed. "He and I had been close friends, but even that changed."

"What happened to him? Please, John, I need to know."

"He was shot in the groin when we were boarding the Freemont." He grimaced. "It burned everything away. When the doctors couldn't correct it, he started seeking out radical cures and though I tried to reason with him and told him if you loved him you'd understand, he refused to listen. Well, some of the gene therapy drugs he took from those fake doctors, well they drove him mad. He declared he was going to divorce you because you would never want a shell of a man."

"Oh, James." She said. "If you'd told me, it wouldn't have mattered. I would've been there for you." Her hands were tightly clasped and tears were starting from her eyes.

"It gets worse, Sarah, and this is where I wronged you." He said and looked away from her.

"What do you mean, wronged me?" She wiped the tears away and when he hesitated, she said. "Tell me, John, now!"

He let out a deep sigh. "I must've been still partly deranged from the loss of my wife and son because I decided I would not let James' marriage be destroyed. I paid for some good doctors who thought they could restore his mind, kidnapped James and put him in their care. Then I took the letter he'd written you demanding a divorce and erased it. Using his letters as models I began writing you as James trying to pour oil on troubled waters so to speak." He looked over at her white face. "Now you begin to see the enormity of my crime. I was lying to you, pretending to be someone I was not. I let you believe your husband still cared."

"Oh, my God." She said.

"In the end I failed utterly to save him or your marriage." When James got away from the doctors he came after me with blood in his eye. He had me locked in a cell and told me he'd deal with me after he got back from dealing with you. He left me with a terrible fear for what he was going to do to you, especially if you did not give him his son."

"So." She said angrily. "That's why he called me a prostitute and struck me, demanding that I give him Jim the first thing through the door. When I refused, he started really beating me and that's when I flipped him over my shoulder. Before he could recover I had the laser pistol pointed at his guts. He said I wouldn't have the nerve to use it and that was when I burned off his left ear. I drove him from the house at pistol point and later looked up from crying to see Jim chasing him as he went down the path to his ship. I was so afraid that he would turn and see Jim and steal my son from me that I ran from the house with the pistol in my hand. But he never turned. A man possessed, thank God, even at the end."

"Can you forgive me, Sarah, for deceiving you?" He asked with his hat in his hands half risen in the seat, expecting to be sent away.

"Please, sit down, John." She told him. "There is nothing to forgive. I have no doubt your actions were those of a friend." She touched his hand. "That's why you bonded so closely with my son, isn't it? He became the replacement for the son you lost and he was James as James had been."

"Aye, I did not realize that he was Jame's son until later but at the end of our adventure I knew I would give anything to be with him."

"What happened when James got back from his fight with me?" She asked. "Did he come to his senses and forgive you?"

Silver sighed. "No, he did not. If anything he was angrier than before he left. He decided since you weren't there he would take his revenge on me." He stood and flexed his mechanical arm, the electronic eye whirred as it sent a beam into the upraised hand, and he slapped his mechanical leg with his flesh and blood hand. "James was very good with a knife, almost an artist. He made sure I lasted a long time."

"No!" She gasped, putting her hands to her mouth.

He looked over at the Dronian. "I was lucky. I had made one friend among the pirates, Mister Balone." He gestured over at the big lizard. "I'd saved his life once and when he found out what was being done to me, he went berserk. He tore the steel door down and took two shots from James screaming. "I kill you!" He was an angel from heaven to me. He grabbed James and threw him through the lock into vacuum to crash into another ship that was landing. He put a robot doctor to work on me and had me put in cold sleep. He then drove all the crew but Orfeo off at gun point before flying me to his home world for their best doctors to work on me." He looked at the flexing mechanical hand. "They are artists, Sarah, but they had no knowledge of my anatomy. They made it up as they went along."

"Good. Job." The Big Lizard said with admiration looking at the flexing hand.

"Yes, Good job." Silver sighed. "After I was healed, my friend, Balone, and I returned later to being pirates and we became quite good at it. So good in fact we were recruited by Flint. The one thing you have to understand is that Flint kept secret where his treasure was hidden or how he managed to raid so may treasure vaults with complex security using the key. Most of us were auxiliaries who brought loot to him in exchange for his protection and a larger share later. Flint always claimed that when the freebooting days were done we'd get our full share.

But we found out later he had no intention of sharing and that led to the great falling out. I demanded my share from Flint and he laughed in my face as he told me my contract was terminated and then he sent his men to kill us. We barely escaped with our lives. Later we heard rumors about the key carried by Billy Bones and that this key was the means to unlock Flint's wealth. Thus, when Billy fled Flint we went after Billy. Flint's men got to him first, shot his ship down, and descended on the Ben Bow Inn just as Billy reset the key to recognize only Jim and died. However, we arrived just in time to keep them from killing everyone. In the resulting fire fight the Inn burned and thank the blessed saints that Jim, the Doctor, and you managed to escape. If you or Jim had died, I would not have wanted to live."

He sighed and shook his head. "The burning of your home is one of the eternal black marks on my soul. One among many. That's one of the reasons I gave Jim the money to rebuild it."

That answers so many questions I had." Sarah said. "But why is Flint's Dark man after me? The crew is full of rumors everywhere I go that he's tried twice to kill me. I don't understand. It seems I would make a better hostage than a corpse."

"And that's my other failing, Sarah." Silver hung his head. "Amongst the belongings of the invisible assassins which were revealed after their deaths, we found a communication from the Dark Man. He sent two groups to kill you. One was that idiot Rhino which shows how short for time he was, but the other was armed with Treasure Planet technology. I missed them because I thought the one who wanted you dead was himself dead and assumed like you that Flint would prefer to have you as a hostage and that you were physically safe. Unfortunately after seeing the image of the Dark Man on the computers, I know now that I should never have assumed he was dead, for by doing that I put you at terrible risk."

"Who is this Dark Man and why does he want me dead?" She stared at him as she asked.

Silver sighed again. "There is no way to put this but directly. Sarah, the Dark Man is your husband James and he wants you dead with every fiber of his being."

She shook her head. "He's insane. He's got to be."

"Insane? Yes, he most certainly is. If he wasn't before Mister Balone got hold of him, he is now. The disk images show that almost all his body is mechanical. He's a true, unfeeling cyborg now."

"Poor James. He certainly made a mess of his life and mine." She said sadly. Then she frowned. "But none of this explains why you named your ship after me." She looked at him and what she saw in his sad eyes made her eyes grow wide. "No. It can't be."

Silver sighed and looked at the floor. "I wrote those letters trying to keep the love between you two alive. It was too late that I found myself ensnared. I told Jimbo once about following dreams and giving up things for the dream. He thought I was just talking about the treasure. I wasn't. There was more than one dream and you've been it for years, Sarah."

She stared at him as if somehow she could see right through him into his mind. Then she shook herself as if awakening. "You didn't know me. You were in love with a dream woman who didn't exist. The good little wife waiting for her man to return."

"Aye." He said. "I will not deny that, Sarah. You see my life has been filled with dreams. First, it was to be a great Chef and have a wonderful family. Next it was to save your and James' marriage. Then, it was getting my share of Flint's treasure. Finally, it was you." He hung his head. "I am a total failure at realizing dreams."

"John." She said. "You're not a total failure. You could not prevent the car accident that killed your family. My marriage was not savable because of the insane decisions James made which you could not influence. As for losing the treasure, Jim told me you gave it up to save his life. For that choice I will always be grateful. Finally, as even you admit your dream of me was unrealistic. You didn't know me. I'm completely different from that woman in those letters. The idealistic fool who gave up everything to follow a dream of living happily ever after with James. Now that you've met me, can you honestly say you're still in love with that dream woman?"

He looked at her for a long moment and then looked down, rubbing the back of his head. "No, I'm no longer in love with that dream woman." Then his head came up and his electronic eye flashed as he said fervently. "For now, I'm in love with a real woman, a woman who would make any Captain proud to sail the seas of life with her."

Mister Balone laughed his deep chuckle and declared. "About. Time."

Sarah blushed so deeply that her cheeks turned red. "This is too much, John. I can't believe you just said that." She looked at her entwined fingers and then her head came up. "Right now, all I want to do is rescue my son. That is the all-consuming desire in my life. However, after this is all over and done with, we'll have to see what happens. Is that agreeable, because I can't give you any other answer right now?"

"More than agreeable, Sarah." He said as he put his hat back on and opened the door. "After we rescue Jimbo, then we'll see where matters stand. Good night, Sarah." The door shut. He paused in the hall and frowned. "How did she know it was a car accident that killed Brianna and Daniel? I never told her that."

Mister Balone nodded happily to himself. The pack mind was growing stronger and maybe it could exist with only one Dronian.


	20. Jim Begins to Shine

"All right, let's evaluate." Jim Hawkins said as he looked from Mister Scroop and then back to Diane as they stood by the open-air saucer. "First, who can fly this thing?"

Diane shook her head. "I've never flown, Jim."

He looked at her puzzled. "Aren't you the big caretaker who knows everything here?"

"I'm sorry." She said. "When I was becoming human, I realized there was not enough file space in the human brain and so I left a lot of files out. I have some general knowledge of this place and how it works, but performing some tasks is not possible for me, Jim." She hung her head. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." He said. "We'll live with it and I'd much rather be holding this pistol than facing one." He smiled at her. "You made that possible. So, thank you." He got a grin in return which lit up her face.

"Okay." Jim said to Mister Scroop. "I don't suppose you know how to fly?"

Mister Scroop snarled. "Just enough to take off and crash. That's why I had a chauffeur. Worthless sot that he was." He spat at the ground.

"And even if you knew how to fly, I'm not sure I'd trust you to keep from crashing us on purpose." Jim told him. "I have another question for you. Does Flint have any tracking devices on this craft?"

Mister Scroop hesitated and Jim gestured with the pistol. "Why don't you get in and we'll tie you up, put it on automatic and put you at the front so you can see any missiles just before they blow you up."

"Curse you, boy." Mister Scroop snarled. "There are two of them. One under the dash and one under the rear fender."

"Diane, check it out." Jim said. He pointed the pistol at his foe who had suddenly started to grin. "And if she gets hurt from a booby trap, I'll blow your brains out, if you have any."

"Wait!" Cried Mister Scroop to Diane who paused in reaching under the dashboard. "There's a yellow button on the front dash. Push it in and it will disable the charges." When she had successfully disabled and removed both devices, Mister Scroop wiped the sweat off his forehead and began to curse. "By the seven hells of my home world, you've given me a death sentence, boy. Neither Flint nor the Dark Man will believe that I did not betray them willingly. I'll get the black spot for sure and the short walk right after. Curse the day I ever laid eyes on you."

Jim smiled. "Well, it seems you have a real problem. If we let you go, then you're dead. If we shoot you, then you're dead. And if we take you with us, you'll probably try to make us dead and I'll have to shoot you. Looks like your dead, Scrooty, no matter what happens."

"Don't call me Scrooty. That's why I hate you boy. You dishonor me at every turn. When I first met you, you spied on your own senior pack members instead of giving us our privacy. Then you escalated a simple warning into an honor ritual."

"Hey, you were going to cut my head off until Silver stopped you." Jim snapped.

"It's the custom of my people." Scroop snarled. "When a cub does not take verbal discipline, we mark him so he may learn from his shame and all may know his trespass. You were in no mortal danger and maybe the cut on your forehead would've made you wiser, but then the pack leader, Long John Silver, disciplined me like a cub. And that cursed First Mate told me he was going to imprison me for causing a disturbance on the ship. He didn't even want to know what had happened. He didn't like me and he wanted me, a warrior of Thark, to kiss his feet and grovel or be locked in a cell. It was an insult that could only be washed away by blood. That's why I paid him back and when I found you alone on the ship I tried again to mark you."

Jim shook his head. "You're a real work, aren't you? But you really messed up, didn't you? You were the one who ended up floating off towards the surface. How did you survive by the way?"

"I don't know. I saw the ground rushing at me and then I knew only darkness. I awoke in the same room as you did and found myself in the company of all the others of Silver's men who had died here. Flint then recruited us as members of his crew with a promise of a share of the treasure at the center of the mechanism." He snorted. "Center of the mechanism, indeed. If the treasure was truly there, it would've been engulfed by molten iron as soon as he put it there. We all figure he has it hidden in another part of the planet."

"Boy, I've some bad news for you, Mister Scroop." Jim said maliciously. "The treasure is gone. It fell right into the molten heart of the planet."

"You're lying, boy." Mister Scroop growled.

"No, he's not." Diane said. "That was the end of the last adventure here. You can see it on any public viewer here."

"What are you talking about?" Mister Scroop snapped at her.

"What she's trying to tell you is that Treasure Planet is a giant Adventure Park and that we are all players in a computer drama. The park doesn't let its customers die. It would be bad for business, I guess." Jim frowned. "Didn't you talk to the two pirates who died when the treasure fell into the magma? They were probably revived just like you. They'd tell you what happened."

"Who died seeing the treasure destroyed?" Mister Scroop demanded.

"I'm not sure I know their names, but one was our helmsman and the other was a squat guy with two eyeball stalks." Jim shrugged. "Did you ever talk to them?"

Mister Scroop got a puzzled look. "I saw them briefly after we all talked to Flint and I never saw them again."

Jim smiled. "That's because he has their bodies locked in stasis chests in the healing room. Isn't that right, Diane?"

She nodded. "You must've seen them during one of the times you were in there."

"The first time." He replied. "I also think it's time to get out of here before they come looking to see why Mister Scroop is taking so long. Which still leaves us the problem of what to do with him."

"Mister Scroop." She said. "You talk of honor and it looks like Flint has been deceiving you. I think I can find a kiosk which will show you what happened to the treasure. If we convince you, will you join us? Will you give us your parole on your word of honor?"

"Wait a minute, Diane." Jim snapped. "I'm not sure I'd trust his word of honor."

"Trust has to begin somewhere, Jim." She replied. "And I'm sure you don't want to just kill him even if he's resurrected." She turned back to Mister Scroop. "Will you give your word?"

Mister Scroop shook his head. "The boy is right. Our understandings of honor are very different." He looked over at her. "I will give my word to not betray you for twenty-five hours. You've that long to convince me what you're saying is true. After that all bets are off." He climbed over the side of the saucer and sat down. "Well." He said. "Let's get out of here, boy, before Flint shows up." He clicked his claws. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can cut you."

Three hours later as darkness was falling they landed for the night. Mister Scroop went and sat in a tree where he declared he'd be safer from any predators. Jim nodded and he and Diane kept the guns. They settled down for the night just below the saucer craft and Diane set up a force field using a manual in the glove compartment.

They fell asleep but sometime during the night he was awoken by her saying. "Jim? I'm freezing."

He realized he was cold too. He held out his arms. "Come here. We'll keep each other warm." A few minutes later he realized that might have been a mistake. A few minutes more and he didn't care.

Up in his tree Mister Scroop shook his head. Humans were such weird aliens.


	21. Treaure Planet

"Well." Said the officer with the monocle as he straightened his cleaned and repaired coat (Down and Swift Taylors cleaning forty five pounds with alterations). "Where are your pirate friends, Willy? They should've been here weeks ago." Around them four ships of the line floated in between the tumbling asteroids. Off in the distance the faint shape of Treasure Planet with its crossed rings could barely be seen with the naked eye.

The Rhino held his cap in his hand. "I can't tell you, Sir. I told you before that I had no time to gather the information you needed before they spaced me into the harbor. I only knew the destination."

The officer cleaned his monocle and after placing it before his eye looked down in disgust. "I don't think your information is as valuable as you led me to believe. That's why the purser is holding your reward until we have the Ariel in our sights. You'd better come up with more or that ship had better show up soon for your sake, Willy." He paused to brush a flake of imaginary dust off his polished black boots (Broad and Stern 65 pounds).

"Oh, they'll be here soon, Sir. You can bank on it." Willy groveled.

"They'd better be." The officer said as he looked over at the four other ships. "We have enough fire power here to wipe them out a hundred times over." He sniffed. "Her Majesty will dock your reward for all their upkeep if this doesn't pan out. I figure you'll be polishing my boots for a hundred years to pay it back, Willy."

"Sir." A holograph of a sub-officer appeared. "We're picking up emissions of a ship dropping out of warp. All indications are that it is the Ariel."

"At last." Snarled the officer.

"Thank the gods above." Said Willy.

Sirens wailed and the Admiralty crews scrambled to their ready positions. Gun covers were removed and lights began to glow deep in the barrels as the guns heated up.

On the Ariel Henry appeared before Silver who paused with a forkful of food halfway to his mouth. He held the fork with its piece of meat un-tasted and asked with a raised brow. "Problem, Henry?"

"A bad one, Captain." The apparition said. "I just detected five ships waiting for us in the asteroid belt ahead of us and they've all gone to hostile alert."

Silver got to his feet. "I assume you are calling battle stations and will be transferring command to the good Sergeant." He hefted his pants belt upward and then put his hand on the sword's hilt.

Henry wrung his hands. "You would be making a false assumption, Captain. You will notice I am still calling you Captain because we are in the one situation where I cannot transfer command."

Silver frowned. "And what situation would that be with five ships about to attack us?"

Henry became even more agitated. "When the five ships are commanded by the legally accepted government of the Crescent, the Admiralty. I cannot initiate hostilities with the government. Hobarths was very clear on that."

Silver started to smile. "Then, it's a good thing you have a Captain who's experienced battle with the so-called government before. It's a good thing you have a pirate in command." He strode out the door, leaving the almost crying Henry behind. "Mister Arrow!" He shouted. "Call the crew to their battle stations, now."

Mister Arrow looked at his computer screen and shook his head. The Captain was still in charge according to Henry. This was going to get interesting. He blew his whistle and implemented the commands, turning the Ariel into a beehive of activity. He read the assessment from Henry and whistled softly. Five Admiralty ships of the line. Interesting indeed.

"Move lively now!" He shouted. "You know the drill. Gunners and backups to your weapons. Ready all pieces for firing. All marines prepare to repel borders." He hoped they wouldn't have to fight but sometimes even the government went a little crazy and if the government wasn't crazy, then he had a difficult decision to make as did everyone on board.

Sarah Hawkins threw on her coat and joined the hurrying crowd of sailors rushing to their battle stations. She'd been cleared for just normal duty, but she would be damned if she'd stand aside. The gun station was empty and she realized that her friend would be down in engineering as his first priority. The gun was hers. She threw the cover off and before it even settled to the floor, she had scrambled into the seat and started punching the activation sequence. The gun hummed and spun slowly on its bearings as she brought it to bear on the part of space where her targets would be found. All the indicators were golden.

"This is Captain Silver." The computer blared. "I am in command because the ships we are facing are apparently from the Admiralty. You will not initiate fire except on my command. We will talk first. If they don't want to talk, then brace yourselves as Mister Balone will have free rein down in engineering to get us out of here at the fastest speed he can muster. If they stop us." He paused and hung his head. "Then we will surrender. We will have no other choice. We have too many innocents on board."

Five sparks appeared in the space ahead of them and grew into ships as they approached. The ships stopped about a mile ahead and floated there with their cannons winking their readiness to fire. A hologram of the officer's head appeared, floating in space and as big as a skyscraper. Sarah cursed as she recognized the monocle it was wearing.

A large ghostly hand came up and adjusted the monocle. "Ariel, under the authority of the Admiralty." A huge voice boomed out. "I order you to stand down and receive borders. Any and all pirates or suspected pirates will be arrested." He grinned. "You will find I've a very flexible rule as to who's a suspected pirate." Sarah shuddered. He seemed to be staring at her as he said it. She felt her fingers tightening on the triggers and forced them to relax.

"I will give you one minute to strike your colors or we will open fire and all of you will be considered to be pirates." He grinned.

"Morph." Silver said angrily. "He's the reason people become pirates." Morph snorted and put up his fists. "Mister Balone." Silver started to say but he was interrupted as a new combatant entered the arena.

There was a bright flash of light and a towering figure appeared dwarfing the floating head to insignificance. He appeared to be a muscular man with a red cape floating out behind him. He was lightly armored and one hand rested on a handle protruding from his belt. His hair was blond and flowed from under a silver armored helmet with silver wings sprouting from its sides. "Desist!" He shouted. "The ways to the Park are free to all who come here. Harm will come only to those that impede access to the Park and imperil the safety of our guests."

"We are the Admiralty." The floating head shouted. "We have the right to arrest pirates."

The figure drew out a scroll and opened it. He read quickly and his head came up as he snapped. "The Admiralty is not on our guest list. They are not part of the ongoing game." He looked over at the Ariel. "However, I see several players in the game aboard the ship you wish to detain. The Ariel may freely pass." He stepped between them and the Admiralty ships and waved the Ariel on.

"Full ahead, Mister Orfeo for Treasure Planet." Silver said. "It seems we have been granted clearance."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Orfeo said as he put his foot to the throttle. The Big Lizard put his tongue out at the big head as the ship started forward.

"No!" Shouted the big head. "Fire!"

The figure in the cape held up its hand and the lasers reflected harmlessly away. "You are in violation of Park Regulation 711-B on the use of unauthorized force in the domain of the Park. Desist or face arrest."

"Fire the AMWs on my authority!" The officer screamed.

Three flashes of light made the figure vanish for a moment. Then it was back and even more solid than before. "You have used weapons in the Park precincts and imperiled our guests. You are under arrest." He drew the handle from his belt and produced a giant rectangular hammer. He pointed it at the five ships which were instantly enclosed in a giant force bubble.

"No!" Screamed the officer as his big head image popped out of existence. "I represent the Admiralty. You can't do this." Around him all the power in the ships went out.

"Tell it to the judge, lawbreaker." The large being said and they all disappeared in a flash of light.

Sarah sighed and powered her gun down as the command to stand down came. "It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." She said with satisfaction.

Jim's father got up from the computer console which was reporting the progress of the worm program to take out the Master Computer and give him control of the Park. Everything was proceeding well. Soon he wouldn't even need the Key.

He turned to look at the readings on the incubator console and ground his teeth in rage. "This is not what I programmed, you idiot machine."

"I'm sorry, sir." A familiar voice replied. "You did not erase the prior programming and so there was an over write. But consider this. You now have proof that the DNA you applied is healthy and when this cycle is done you can begin again."

"It's an abomination, you bunch of computer chips, I ought to melt you into slag." He drew his pistol and cocked it.

"You're not a nice man." The familiar voice said. "I'll tell Jimmy on you."

Another voice interrupted with oratory overtones. "Willful destruction of Park property will result in Security being called. Compliance with Park regulations must be done or you will be arrested."

"At least let me burn away this abomination." He gestured angrily at the lighted box.

"You may call it an abomination if it pleases you, but you cannot interfere with the incubator cycle once full engage has been depressed and you did that several days ago." The second voice chided.

"So, there!" The familiar voice gave him a big raspberry.

"I'll, I'll…" He choked and was interrupted by a beeping sound. He pressed his communicator and an image of Flint sprang up. "What is it, Emperor?" He growled.

"Thank you, Mister Hawkins, for your delightful recognition of me." The image replied. "But it's as your commanding officer, your captain, I'm speaking. Come aboard immediately. We'll be sailing soon to intercept and burn a trespasser if she approaches too close."

James holstered his pistol. "An Admiralty ship?"

"Oh, you'll like this even better, Mister Hawkins. It's a ship called the Ariel and we believe your wife is aboard her."

"Be right there, Sir." James ignited his rocket boots and shot down the corridor.

"I thought you might. I really thought you might, Mister Hawkins." Flint's image winked out.

Jim woke the next morning feeling very warm and comfortable. He saw a tan arm in his vision and heard Diane sigh as she snuggled closer causing warm feelings to spread through his body. Her red hair spilled across his face. "Oh, boy." He said softly as he remembered last night. She murmured quietly in reply. He heard someone enter the clearing and saw a shadow fall over him.

"Good morning, Cabin boy." Mister Scroop said as he knelt in front of him. "I see you slept comfortably." He chuckled nastily.

Jim disengaged Diane's arm and snapped. "It isn't like that."

Mister Scroop raised an eybrow. "Oh, isn't it? I think you might want to ask your friend how she feels."

Jim turned and saw Diane smiling at him happily. "Oh, boy." He said again. Mister Scroop just laughed in reply. Jim snarled. "What do you want anyway?"

Mister Scroop grinned nastily before he replied. "You have thirteen hours left in our truce. Use them wisely, cabin boy." He got up and sauntered away.

"He's right, Diane." Jim said to now wide awake woman. "We have to prove to him what this place is."

Diane got to her feet, stretched, and then leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "Don't worry, Jim. The nearest kiosk is only a short flight from here." She frowned and then told him. "It seems there are demands that living in a body makes on you that I wasn't aware of except in an abstract sort of way before." She smiled and touched his forelock. "The one from last night was very pleasant. I wish I could say the same about these new urges." She turned and hurried into the bushes.

"All right." Jim said to Diane later as they got in the saucer with Mister Scroop in the rear. "Where will we find this kiosk you mentioned?"

"Just keep flying towards the rising sun." She replied as she snapped the seat belt on. "When you reach the border of the game you won't be able to miss it."

"If there is any such building." Mister Scroop snarled. Jim stamped his foot on the accelerator and they shot into the sky throwing Mister Scroop almost out of the back of the saucer. He barely hooked a claw on the back cushion and was dragged behind them until he pulled himself back in.

"You still with us, Mister Scroop?" Jim asked with a smile.

"You won't get rid of me that easy, cabin boy." The enraged spider alien replied.

"Darn." Jim grinned as he concentrated on the controls.

After about an hour of flying a red light began flashing on the control board. "A problem?" He read through the diagnostics on the screen. "I don't see anything wrong." The ship's speed abruptly dropped. He frantically went through the screen messages. "Somehow we've lost power and I don't know why." He said worriedly to Diane.

She pointed ahead of them to a suddenly shimmering barrier. "That's because we've reached the border of the game." Through the barrier they could see the countryside had suddenly changed from the frond-like trees they were used to, to towering pine trees. Off in the distance a large body of water glinted in the sun.

"You've reached the game limits." A disembodied voice which sounded like a Shakespearean actor said. "What do you desire? Do you seek refreshment and rest? Are you done with this part of your Park experience? If you are leaving, you must be aware that you cannot return until the current game has ended."

"We want an information kiosk for a short break." Diane said.

"Very good. Be aware that the break can last no longer than an hour by which time you must rejoin your fellow players in the game. Sit back and relax. You will be at the kiosk shortly. There you may obtain refreshment and Park souvenirs. Thank you for coming and may you continue to enjoy your Park experience. Have a nice day."

Mister Scroop clung to the seat back behind Jim and Diane and his breath came in short gasps as he stared at the forest rushing by them on the other side of the barrier. Finally, his breath calmed. Then it speeded up again as the saucer dropped to land besides a light-green pagoda style building. "I don't believe this." Was all he managed to get out.

Jim opened his door and got out but Diane lightly bounded over the side of the locked door. Mister Scroop exited behind Jim and both of them stepped back when a man with a stove pipe hat, a black beard, and a black frock cloak popped up in front of them from behind the counter surrounding the pagoda.

"Welcome to the Park, my friends." He said in a voice with an Illinois accent. "How can we serve you today, our guests?"

"Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest." A chorus sang lightly in the background and faded away as he waved his hand.

Diane smiled at him. "Good morning, Abe. We're looking for a recording of the last game that was played here."

He frowned. "It seems I should know you, but that is obvious, I know all the guests."

"Be our guest, be our guest." The chorus sang before he waved it away.

He looked at a screen that popped up in front of him. "Aha, that would be The Treasure Planet game. And since Mister Hawkins and Mister Scroop participated in that one there should be no privacy issues with them getting copies." Two disks popped out of the air and fell into his outstretched hand. "Here you are." He said as he handed one to each. He gestured to another booth to the left. "Viewing for you is free."

Mister Scroop stared at the disk in his claw. "I don't believe this."

Diane placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. I think I can help you get the playback turned on. I'm sure Jim has some questions he wants answered." Mister Scroop meekly followed her.

Jim looked around. "This seems like quite a big place. Where are we now?"

Abe brought up a screen showing a map with a flashing light. "We are here at the border of Game World and the Forest Primeval. The next Worlds over are Viking World, Paul Bunyan Land, Fantasy World, Tomorrow World, and Jungle World." He scrolled the screen revealing these domains but many more were just visible at the edge of the screen.

"How big is each of these worlds or lands?"

Abe shrugged. "Since we use four dimensional space folding, they're as big as they need to be."

"How do you get to those other places?"

Abe pointed to a spot near Jim and said. "Master Traveler." A rotating cylinder sprang up out of the ground covered with brightly glowing spots each with a symbol besides it. "Just touch the spot you want to be while holding hands and you'll be transported there."

Jim frowned. "Just like the key in the last game."

"Same technology." Abe replied. "And if you suddenly find the need to be somewhere else in the Park. Just call for Master Traveler and the cylinder you see there will reveal itself to you. But remember more than three uses of the Master Traveler in one day will bar you from playing in the current game unless you declare Emergency. Believe me you do not want to do that as you will have to answer to Park Security if it's not a real emergency."

There was a scream from the viewing booth and a moment later Mister Scroop came charging out. "Lies!" He shouted. "It's all been lies! Damn you, Flint. I'm going to kill you and the Dark Man."

"It most certainly is not lies, dear guest." Abe reproved him as he waved quickly to silence the chorus. "The game is real and so are the rewards."

"There is no treasure." Mister Scroop cursed. "It was all destroyed."

"Yes, it was in the last game but there is still treasure to be won in this one."

"And what?" Growled Mister Scroop. "It'll evaporate like the morning mist?"

Abe drew himself up. "It most certainly will not. We always allow our guests to keep a souvenir of their visit."

"Be our guest, be our guest." Came the chorus.

"Shut up!" Roared Mister Scroop. The chorus dwindled off into offended silence.

He rounded on Abe and grabbed him by his collar. "Do you mean we can take some of the treasure with us?"

Abe easily broke his grip and dusted off his coat. "Of course. Mister Silver and Mister Hawkins both took home souvenirs of their visit last time. But it's no big deal. Since matter duplicators are as common as gum machines in your malls why would anyone want to take a ship load of gold and jewels home when they can have a house full of them?"

Jim turned to Diane. "How long ago was all this? How come we have no mention of this place in our histories?"

She took his arm. "I'll try and explain later. This is not the time or the place." She gestured towards the serenely smiling Abe.

There was a chime from the saucer. Abe came back to life. "That's the signal that it's time to return to the game. Thank you for your visit and remember that anything we can do to make your stay here enjoyable, just ask." He sank below the counter.

"I'd like to tear his smiling face off." Mister Scroop growled as they climbed back in the saucer.

"Don't do it." Diane said. "Destruction of Park property outside the games is severely punished."

"Punished? How?" Jim asked as he lifted the saucer into the air. "They certainly won't take money since you can just print it up out of the air."

"Jim, if you run a foul of security and the justice system fines you, then you'll pay with the only thing anyone in the Park cannot duplicate." She put her hand on Jim's shoulder. "Just promise me you won't do it."

"But what is it they'll make you pay?" Jim said as he dropped the saucer back down into the frond-like trees.

"Cabin boy." Said Mister Scroop. "Your civilization thinks itself so progressive with its mind washing as punishment that it's forgotten its origins and its honor. On my planet imprisonment is the worst insult and punishment. They must jail their criminals here."

"It's worse." Diane said. "They make you part of the Park for the number of years of your sentence. They take the only thing you can't duplicate. The years of your life."

A lanky dog like alien with buck teeth and long thin black ears walked out before the assembled officers and crew men of the Admiralty led by the furious officer with the monocle. The dog was dressed in a white shirt and black pants. Large guards in golden armor surrounded the prisoners. "Here ye, hear ye. Quiet in the court." The goofy dog intoned. "All rise for the Judge."

A large, heavy-set cat alien with black hair and ears and a white face with a jaw that looked like it could break iron strode out wearing black robes. He sat in a chair behind the bench. "Be seated, you mugs." He declared. "Which case is first, Dear."

A pretty dog like alien woman got up and straightened her skirt. "Save that language for after work hours, Darling. Remember I'm the prosecutor. We've a case to try."

"Sorry, Snookums." He blushed and then straightened. "Is defense council present?"

"Yes sir, your honor sir." A weasel in a vest with a cigarette hanging from his lip stood up and coughed.

"Good." The judge leaned forward. "What are the charges?"

The prosecutor put a pair of glasses on her nose and read. "These beings are charged with trespassing and attempted assault on Park visitors using antimatter weapons. Arresting officer was Thor."

"I don't blame him for being sore. Hyuk, Hyuk." The buck toothed dog herald said.

"Save it for later, you Goof." The judge declared.

"Sorry, Judgey." He replied and looked embarrassed.

The Judge leaned forward. "How do your clients plead, defense council?"

"Insanity?" The weasel said and coughed out more smoke.

The Judge looked at the enraged officer with the monocle. "Good plea."

"This is a travesty!" Roared the officer. "I was leading my men and just about to arrest known criminals when you interfered. You will turn all of them over to me and we will leave without any consequences or you will all suffer."

The Judge leaned forward. "So you claim to be in charge?"

The officer drew himself up straight. "Of course I'm in charge. If you hadn't interfered we would've either arrested them or…." He trailed off seeing the Judge's anger rising.

The Judge glared at him and put his massive hands on the top of the bench and leaned forward. "Or what?"

The Prosecutor stepped forward. "They would've killed them, your honor. They would've fired anti-matter weapons and full strength lasers at a ship with only a class 2 shield. It would've been murder. Their ships had no restraints on their weapons. It's quite obvious that in spite of their claims to be a peace force they are actually brigands."

"As I said." The weasel coughed out a smoke ring. "Insane."

"I've heard enough." The judge smashed his gavel into the bench top. "You are all guilty of disturbance of the peace and attempted piracy with a sentence of five years." He leaned forward and purred. "But since this idiot says he was in charge I will reduce his crew's sentences to one year each. Take them away."

"You can't do this!" Screamed the officer.

"Oh, I can't?" The Judge took out a big cigar and lit it. He puffed out a black smoke ring and then smiled at the Prosecutor. "What's the additional sentence for contempt of court, darling?"

She smiled at him. "Two more years, dear."

The Judge grinned evilly at the Officer. "It's now seven years. Want to make it nine? You keep it up and I can add more to your men's too."

Willy the Rhino put his hand over the Officer's mouth. "Shut up, you idiot." He whispered. When the Officer tried to struggle he slugged him. Catching the unconscious body in his arms he said. "We accept the sentence, your honor."

The Judge blew out another smoke ring. "Good choice."

Bells and sirens were ringing off towards the pirate town as Jim landed the saucer in the woods. He peered towards the source of the noise. "What's that?"

"Full assembly." Mister Scroop replied looking worried. "It means they're about to launch Anne's Revenge and they're recalling all hands." He leaped down and began ripping up bushes and throwing them on the saucer. "We don't want them seeing us when they launch. Their detection gear once they are aloft is terrifyingly efficient."

Diane began chopping bushes off with her sword and Jim dragged them over to where Mister Scroop was working to arrange the bushes into what looked like an ordinary hill. He had to admit that Mister Scroop was a lot better at camouflage than he was.

A roaring sound sprang up behind them and Mister Scroop caught Diane and Jim in his arms and leaped into a real brush pile drawing gasps of pain from the very real thorns. He covered their mouths with two of his hands. "Quiet." He whispered. "Or we're dead."

The roar grew to continuous blast of thunder and a small ship riding a tail of fire streaked by overhead. Several pirates were leaning at the rails staring at the ground below as they sped off into the distance. The sirens were replaced by a roaring claxon. "Launch in two minutes." A rolling voice intoned. Mister Scroop burrowed even deeper.

Shortly there was an even louder roar and a shadow fell across them. Jim looked up and saw Anne's Revenge rising into the air, its decks crowded with weapon brandishing pirates. A jet of fire shot from the rear of the ship and slowly at first and then with apparent ease it shot into the sky and was gone.

Mister Scroop released his grip on the two of them and got to his feet. Diane used her sword to cut herself free from the thorns. Jim wiped his scratched face. "Where do you think they're going?"

"Hunting." Mister Scroop said. "But that may be a break for us. If they did like they did last time and took only the most loyal hands, then the ones we want to inform about the loss of the treasure may be more easily reachable."

"And how are you going to do that?" Jim asked. "We've no idea when they're going to return."

"We won't be going there." Mister Scroop walked over and began pulling bushes off the saucer. "I'll use the transmitter here to send a copy of the disk and an explanation to each of their electronic accounts."

Jim stared at him. "You could've called for help last night."

Mister Scroop didn't even turn around. "You know why I didn't."

Diane said softly. "You gave your word. Anything else would've been dishonorable."

"Yes. Now help me get these bushes off. We've a revolt to start."

Jim shook his head. Nothing was black and white anymore. Even a villain like Mister Scroop had a code of honor, a warped code, but still a code. He hoped that whoever Anne's Revenge was after could fight back.

Sarah Hawkins was staring at the distant world of Treasure Planet with its crossed rings. There could be no other planet like it in existence. But why had the giant image that had detained the Admiralty ships called it The Park? There was something going on here that she didn't understand. When Jim had come back from here he had reported strange machines and a wormhole device that had brought them home before the planet exploded. Now she had experienced pirates from there with unknown stealth technology and the planet that had supposedly exploded was entirely restored. None of this made sense.

"Mrs. Hawkins." Her communicator beeped. "The Captain requests your presence in engineering."

"Acknowledged." She replied.

When she entered the engineering room she found besides Captain Silver, the Big Lizard, Sasha Adoree, Mister Arrow and Song Urdessa already there. "Reporting as requested, Captain." She said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hawkins. I wanted you to hear what Ms. Adoree and Mr. Urdessa have discovered about the stealth devices and then there are plans we have to discuss about rescuing your son. Ms. Adoree."

"Thank you, Captain." Adoree put on a pair of square shaped spectacles. "I'm afraid we still can't tell you how these devices work." She held up the black triangle for their inspection. "But we've determined that the men using them were idiots."

Mr. Urdessa growled. "Like children playing with a live gun."

Ms. Adoree nodded. "Precisely. In the mode they were using, the device made them undetectable by any means but their gravity interactions with space. Mister Urdessa did some fiddling with them and found there is another function revealed by this other switch on the side." She pushed it and a silvery globe sprang up. "It's a personal force shield. I haven't been able to test its limits but it appears many times stronger than the ship's field."

Sarah frowned. "Do both functions work together?"

"Very good, Mrs. Hawkins." Silver smiled at her. "They do."

Mr. Urdessa looked worried. "We have no idea how long they can operate at the same time or even what's powering them. I would not want to run both continuously for long periods of time as either one or both could fail and the results could be bad."

"What do you mean bad, Mister Urdessa." Mister Arrow asked.

"It could be catastrophic, Sir. But that's only a guess."

Mister Arrow shook himself. "Only a guess." He murmured. "I think I preferred bad."

Song handed one to Sarah and showed her where the controls were. She looked it over and then looked up. "This is all very interesting but why are you showing me this?"

"It was the Captain's idea." Song said.

"Mister Urdessa." Growled Silver with a menacing look.

Song ignored him and hurried on. "After two murderous attacks on you masterminded by your husband. We all thought you could use the protection." Silence fell. "Well we did." He protested.

"My dear Song." Adoree said gently. "It could've been put more diplomatically."

"Just a bit more diplomatically." Mister Arrow said.

Sarah frowned. "I'm not sure…."

An alarm began ringing and instantly Henry's image appeared. "A large ship has just uncloaked itself off our bow. It's calling itself Anne's Revenge. I'm declaring a….." There was a rolling boom and he dissolved in static for a moment to reappear as a shaky travesty of his former appearance. "They are shutting me down. I did not think it possible. Captain, I recommend surrender." His image flickered and rolled.

Silver growled. "If it was only meself, I'd say set off all the AMWs and take them to Davey Jone's Locker with us." He sighed. "But it's not just me. Henry, broadcast the surrender to the Sergeant and the rest of the crew. Tell them to inform our captors we're all dead and that if Flint offers to recruit them to his gang to accept." He sighed again. "At least that way they'll live. I'm afraid that option does not exist for us. For Mrs. Hawkins and me capture would mean very painful deaths at James's hands. So we two have to vanish."

Henry's image came back up wavering. "The Sergeant acknowledges the message and reluctantly agrees. He suggests you get off the ship and..." Henry vanished in a final burst of static and every light went out.

"Henry?" Mister Arrow punched his communicator and then looked up in worry. "Everything is down except for the ship's force field and that is flickering like a failing light, Captain."

"I think we're outgunned, Mister Arrow." Silver caught up stealth devices and started handing them out. "We're now the underground, ladies and gents. I suggest those of us who are leaving with me head for the bow launch and get off of here before Flint or James arrive. There's very little we can do against what they seem to have on that ship."

Mister Balone growled. "Stay. Bash. Heads."

Sarah put a hand on his arm. "Stay. Kill. Few. Run. Later. Kill. Lots." She gave him a savage grin which he returned. She smiled at Silver. I will admit, John, that I'm tempted to stay and give James a kick where it'll hurt the most." She and Mister Balone both vanished.

Mister Arrow stared at his device. "We can't just abandon the crew."

"We're the only ones they'll want to kill, Mister Arrow." Silver said. "If I know Flint he'll offer to make the three of you pirates and if you're smart you'll accept. God grant we meet again." He touched his device and vanished.

"Aye, Sir." Mister Arrow sighed. "But no one ever said I was smart." He looked over at Song and Sasha. "I think they need someone to cover their retreat but if you are going with them, I'll understand."

"You're right, Mister Arrow." The bear alien drew his pistol. "I'll help you hold the passage until they get clear." He smiled at the tiger woman. "You'd better get going, Sasha, you're one of our best fighters and between you and the Dronian they may survive."

Sasha leaned forward and gently touched his cheek. "I love you." She said softly and then vanished.

He grinned. "Finally, she says it." He touched his button and disappeared. "Lead on, Mister Arrow. I'm right behind you." His disembodied voice said.

Mister Arrow nodded as he drew his pistol. "Glad you could join the party, Mister Urdessa. Let's go and make it very hot for these scum." He vanished too.

A few minutes later Mister Arrow and his companion had found spots behind large barrels that the bear alien had torn from their storage positions so they could cover the hall to the boat launch and waited for the inevitable. Mister Arrow could hear the mechanical launch being cranked and then he heard Silver's voice. "Are you sure you aren't coming, Mister Arrow and Mister Urdessa? We can't delay the launch."

"Go on, Sir. We have your backs." He called.

There was a pause and then Silver said softly. "It's been an honor serving with both of you and I promise that we'll make them pay ten times for each hurt they do you. You have the word of Long John Silver."

There was a clank as the boat chain jammed and Silver cursed. At the same time the door at the end of the corridor blew open and a large octopus carrying a bazooka slid through followed by several screaming aliens. "I knew they were trying to escape, but they're dead now." He gurgled.

The bazooka swung up again and then a bolt from Mister Arrow's pistol dropped him in a lifeless heap. As the rest of the pirates stood there stunned, a hail of shots sent them scampering back for the safety behind the door where they replied with their own barrage poorly aimed as they could not see what they were shooting at.

Silver jerked on the chain with his cyborg arm but it refused to move. "Grab on to the seats, I'm going to blast it loose." He pocketed his pistol and leaning back against the mast raised his artificial leg. There was a whirr as the gun buried in it came to the surface. He pushed a button and the gun flared. A charge streaked from it and blew the jammed pulley to pieces. He almost fell out of the boat as it dropped, but Sarah and Sasha caught him by the arm and pulled him back aboard. "Thanks, lasses." He managed to gasp out.

Mister Balone held the tiller and punched buttons. "Two. Seconds. Engine. Fire."

Sarah looked back and gasped as she saw a sleek shape drop from beneath the pirate ship. "John." She shouted. "They're sending a cutter after us."

There was a sputter of flame from the cutter and then the fires went out and it dropped. "Idiots." Mister Balone said. "No. Warm. Up."

The cutter dwindled to a speck below and then fire shot again from its rear and it rose in pursuit again. As the cutter rose to their level they all saw it was faster than them as it gained ground quickly. Silver raised his leg and fired but the shot went wide. He cursed.

Mister Balone growled at him. "Told. You. Buy. Guided. Missile. Launcher. But. No. Listen."

There was a flash from the bow of the cutter and something exploded over their heads knocking them to the floor. Bits of burning shrapnel penetrated the weak force field and several penetrated through their cloaking shields which they were told wouldn't happen. It was obvious that ship's weapons outclassed the shielding devices. Sasha recovered first and lunged to grasp the wildly swinging tiller which threatened to overturn the boat.

Sarah looked up and blinked blood away from her eyes. She looked at Silver and the Dronian who were just as bloody as she was. "I'm sorry I got you all into this." She said. Another explosion roared but not as close as the first one.

Mister Balone growled. "Not. Over. Yet." He reached out his two scaly hands to them. "Dronian. Pack. Join. Hunt. As. One." Another explosion roared but the sheet of shrapnel missed as Sasha pulled back on the speed and the shaped-charge projectiles overshot them.

Silver looked at the hand for a second and took it. "I thought that only worked for Dronians."

The Big Lizard grinned. "Find. Out. Quickly."

He offered his other hand to Sarah and she took it, marveling at how soft it was. Little sparks of lightning leaped between their entwined fingers. "What's going to happen?" She asked and then she got her answer. A glow sprang up around the three of them and she was suddenly both herself, Mister Balone (whose true name was Aristor Bajeck Balone), and Long John Silver (John Stark). She knew everything about them and they knew her as completely as they knew themselves.

Aristor spoke to them and she knew it was from his mind to hers as his speech was pure Dronian and she understood it completely. "The Pack is never defeated until the last member is dead. This is the true meaning of the pack, all minds joined as one to make a presence greater than the whole. You, John, now have my and Sarah's shooting skills. You have my senses and the ability that she has to unconsciously calculate the right moment to act which her son inherited from her. Use it. Kill the enemies of the pack!"

Silver with a determined look got to his feet and dropped the Dronian's hand but that did not disconnect him from the voice speaking in his head. He put his leg with the cannon on the side of the boat as bullets and beams of light shot by him, some tugging at his cloak. He ignored them and it seemed as if a bull's eye sprang into view inside his head, swinging around the pursuing cutter and then as the cutter swerved both lined up. "Shoot, now!" The voice commanded. He fired two rapid shots and the first blew the mast off the cutter and the second hit the power supply. The cutter disappeared in a huge fireball.

He watched as the burning pieces of the cutter fell. "Yes!" The Dronian exalted in his mind. "The pack is triumphant." He felt Sarah's grim satisfaction answer and then the connection went out.

He slumped back into the boat. "Get us down quickly, Ms. Adoree."

"Aye, aye, Sir." She replied and turned the boat to the safety of the forests below. He didn't hear her as he fallen unconscious.

Their escape was well noted by two pairs of friendly eyes on the Ariel. "They got away, Mister Arrow. We did it!" Song shouted.

Mister Arrow sighed. "Now we've a more difficult task, lad. We either fight to the death or surrender and hope for the best." A barrage of shots came from the doorway as the frustrated pirates emboldened themselves to make a rush. A beeping sound came from the cloaking device on his wrist. It flashed into view. The display read. POWER OVER-RIDE. Then it shut down, revealing both of them to the enraged pirates. Another barrage of shots greeted this revealing.

There was a sharp gasp from behind Mister Arrow who whirled around to see Song bent over clutching his stomach. "Sorry, Sir. I can't help you anymore." Mister Arrow started to reach for him but Song pitched through the opening and vanished into the clouds.

Mister Arrow jerked as he felt a pistol mussel shoved against his neck. "Give me your piece, you piece of filth." A voice growled from behind. Mister Arrow handed the pistol butt first over his shoulder and was jerked to his feet and swung around to face his captors.

They were not pleased with him and showed their displeasure by beating him unconscious. When he came to he was being held by three very strong and angry pirates and a gleaming cyborg was staring in anger at him. "Who got away in that launch?" He demanded.

Mister Arrow just glared at him and one of the pirates slugged him in the guts so hard that he nearly collapsed. "Answer the First Mate." The four-armed green alien hissed.

"So, you're James Hawkins." Mister Arrow managed to get out.

The cyborg knelt to look him in the eye with a savage grin. "It's good to see my reputation precedes me. Now who was in that launch?"

Mister Arrow was proud that he still had enough strength left to spit in the Cyborg's one good eye. That earned him another beating which unfortunately was more controlled and left him still conscious. He stood there swaying in the pirates' grips while James cursed and punched him for what seemed like an eternity.

"Enough, Mister Hawkins, anyone can see he's too stubborn for his own good." Mister Arrow peered blearily at the towering figure who stood in front of him staring at him with his six eyes as James's Hawkins reluctantly backed off.

Flint smiled at Mister Arrow. "I know your type. You're the surviving officer and you'll never give in. You know that you have to die and you don't care. Sweetling, at least tell me your name so I can let your next of kin know how brave you were before you leave us." He gestured towards a large plank nailed to the deck railing. "You're journey is going to be a short one, I'm afraid."

When Mister Arrow did not reply, Flint gestured and the three pirates frog marched him onto the plank. "Last chance, brave one." Flint said with a smile.

He stood there, beaten and bloody, but unbowed. He drew himself up to his full height of five foot one. "Go to hell." Then he turned and stepped off the plank.

Flint shook his head. "Ah, well, this way I don't have to write a condolence letter."

After an hour of rampaging through the ship while the Ariel's crew stood silent under the guns, James Hawkins approached Sergeant Culbertson. "Where's Sarah Hawkins?" He shouted.

Wolf Culbertson was no idiot and he could count. None of the officers or Mrs. Hawkins were prisoners along with them. If that meant they had got away using the stealth devices, he'd give them all the help he could and if she was dead, it wouldn't matter. "She was killed by your idiot assassins just before we killed them and threw them in the matter converters." As James stared at him the rest of the crew muttered their agreement

"Sarah dead? It's a dream come true." James shot into the air like a rocket whooping hysterically as jets flamed from his mechanical boots. He landed next to the Sergeant. "That is great news. Now what about your officers besides the unlamented First Mate? Where are they?"

Sergeant Culbertson shrugged. "Your assassins killed Captain Silver and left Mister Arrow and some of the warrant officers. My guess is the warrant officers were the ones who escaped in the launch." He spat. "Good riddance to them."

Flint stepped into view. "I agree with that sentiment and now I'm going to make you an offer that could make you rich beyond your dreams." He gestured to the slowly revolving planet below them. "Down there is treasure and power beyond the dreams of mortal avarice, sweetling. To grasp it, all you and your men have to do is join my crew. Otherwise." He shrugged. "You can take the high dive."

Sergeant Culbertson grinned. "When you put it that way, I see nothing wrong with being a pirate."

Flint smiled back. "I thought you'd see it my way, sweetling."


	22. A Real Beast Meets an Even Worse One

The large stork behind the desk in the assignment house adjusted the bifocals on his beak and pushed back his Captain's hat. "How did the aptitude testing go, Johnny?"

The thin young man in ragged clothes with a cooking pot on his head shrugged. "As good as you could expect, Sir. Most of them will work out fine as extras on Main Street or Tomorrow Land. Some we assigned to the American Revolution story as British extras." He sighed. "There are just two giving us trouble."

"The big mouth with the monocle is one I'm sure." The stork replied as he chewed on a pencil tip while trying to ignore the shouting from a door behind him. "Who's the other?"

"The one calling himself Willy. He looks like a rhino and has all the morals of one." Johnny busied himself planting seeds in pots and as he went down the line little apple trees popped up behind him.

"It's simple." The stork replied. "The rhino can go to the rabbit set. He'll fit right in with the weasels. As for big mouth I hear they need extras in the French Village." He shrugged. "If he doesn't work out then a certain one-handed pirate captain has been griping about needing some action. I think he'd do nicely there."

"I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, Sir."

The stork winced as an angry shout came from behind the door at their backs. There was a solid thunk and then quiet. "If anyone deserves it, Johnny, I think he does."

"I think you're right as usual, Sir. Will you be making deliveries tonight?"

The stork smiled. "I'll be doing the lion cubs. The little elephant with the big ears, I'll let a team handle. Good night, Johnny."

"Good night, Sir."

The officer with the monocle awoke in a bush beside a quaint French house. He groaned, got to his feet, and brushed himself off in disgust. At least he still had his dress uniform (repairs: cleaning and sewing 55 pounds 10). He looked around and heard singing and laughing coming from a rustic tavern. He'd go there and receive the help he deserved.

"Bon jour!" A baker sang out as he walked by him heading towards his shop from which warm scents of cooking bread were drifting.

"French." The officer sniffed. "And a rustic too." His hopes of help went down a notch or two.

He threw open the door and strode in. There was immediate silence. Everyone turned and stared at him with pots of ale halfway to their lips. "What are you staring at?" He growled. "Haven't you ever seen an officer and a gentleman before?" He strode down to the center of the room and stopped with his hands on his hips. "Who's in charge here?"

"That would be Gastone." A short little man with a big nose told him. "He's sitting over there. But I'd not bother him if I were you. He's been in a bad mood since his girl turned him down."

"If he's in charge, then he should get used to being bothered." The officer snapped. He strode over and kicked the boot of the seated figure in the dark corner. "Come on, Sir. Respond to your betters."

A pair of malevolent eyes opened and regarded him disinterestedly. "Nothing matters anymore. I've been rejected. I'm disgraced." The eyes closed again. "Go away, Limey."

The officer grabbed the front of the rustic's shirt and slapped him across the face. "There. Has that got your attention, snail eater?"

The little man put his empty mug over his head and sank down into the shadows. "That should do it." He declared.

Gastone slowly unfolded himself from the chair and rose to his full height which was at least two feet over the head of the officer. His eyes were glowing like red coals. "First." He said. "I want to thank you for waking me out of my funk." Two strong hands attached to two hairy and very muscular arms seized the officer by his shirt front and drew him close. "Second. I want to thank you for providing the entertainment." A great big fist came back and smashed into the officer's face sending him plowing into the bar where he was seized by willing hands and flung back in Gastone's direction.

"You can't do this." He protested as Gastone grabbed him with one hand and raised a balled fist like a sledge hammer.

Gastone raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and why not?"

The officer set his monocle squarely on his nose. "I'm a British officer and your superior in every way."

"Wrong answer." The fist connected and the officer flew through the air to land on top of the short man.

"This always happens to me." The short man complained. He withdrew a very sharp pair of scissors. "Luckily I kept these from the castle fight scene." He stabbed upward.

With a yell and gripping his attacked buttocks the officer fled towards the open door. Before he made it he was seized by the collar and dragged back to face Gastone. "Leaving so soon? We wouldn't think of it. The party's just getting started." The big fist descended again.

The little man gratefully accepted a bowl of popcorn that the three pretty girls were passing around from a huge bag. "And I thought this was going to be another boring evening." He sat on a bench and crunched away happily as the flickering firelight showed the shadows of the officer being punched, pummeled so his head went into his belt, being bitten savagely on the leg, and being bounced in the air while the bar echoed to the chorus of: "No one fights like Gastone."


	23. Jim's Move

Mister Scroop smiled at the two sharing the saucer with him. "Well, cabin boy, it worked to a charm. When Flint comes back he's going to find most of the men are going to want his head on a pole." This seemed to be borne out by the steady stream of curses coming over the communicator. "Telling them where to find the still living bodies of the pirates who'd seen the treasure destroyed convinced even the doubters. How can they doubt it with the four of them to back up the recordings." He shook his head. "How'd you know they'd been stashed in the healing room?"

Jim shrugged. "I saw them in the corner of the room when I was first awoken there. I recognized two of them. Diane just confirmed it." He leaned forward. "However, we can take advantage of this confusion. I bet my Dad has the Key stored in his cabin. If it's coming up to power we need to get it back."

Diane touched his arm. "He could've taken it with him, Jim."

Jim shrugged again. "Then we'll have to try something else, but I think he'll have the Key locked up since deep down he doesn't trust Flint. It's what I'd do." He turned to the spider alien. "Do you know where his quarters are, Mister Scroop?"

Mister Scroop grinned. "I like the way you think, boy." He pointed over the side. "They're in the tallest tower of course."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Of course they're there. Where's Flint's hangout?"

"On Anne's Revenge. He trusts no one. That's why he's a successful Pirate Captain." Mister Scroop replied.

"Who wants to be Galactic Emperor." Jim snarled. "Let's throw a monkey wrench in his plans." He accelerated the saucer towards the tower.

"Monkey wrench?" Diane frowned. "I don't know what that even is." She looked at Mister Scroop who shook his head and shrugged.

Jim chuckled. "When you find out, you tell me. It means blow everything up in his face."

"Now that I understand." Mister Scroop chuckled.

They were soon flying over a pirate town that was boiling over like an anthill that someone had stuck a stick into and given a good jerk. Jim grinned. He'd been the one wielding the stick. There were screams and shouts and shots were being fired from one of the corner buildings. With cries of rage the mob swarmed them under. "Flint loyalists." Mister Scroop said. "Looks like the last of them." He pointed ahead of them. "The tower roof is clear. Set down there."

Jim landed the saucer with a minimum of bumping and went around the side to help Diane out. She took the offered hand with a smile that set off flutters inside him. Damn it. He knew she hadn't been born human but none of that seemed to matter now. Her eyes seemed deep enough to drown in. He snapped his eyes away when the saucer rose beside them with Mister Scroop at the controls. "What are you doing?" He shouted.

Mister Scroop grinned at him from a height of ten feet. "Our pact has ended. Boy."

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted him." Jim cursed and started to draw his pistol. "Lousy, no good, back-stabbing."

Diane wrapped her fingers around his as they closed over the gun butt and squeezed tight. "Just wait, Jim. Let's see what he has to say." She looked up at the spider alien. "We're listening, Mister Scroop. You gave your word to rethink everything if we proved Flint was a liar and to work with us. What promises are we making to each other now?"

Mister Scroop who'd started to draw his own pistol in response to Jim's actions cursed and threw his pistol back on the seat. "Damn you to the Thousand Hells, woman. Were you born on Thraxian so that you play me like one of the masters?"

"Never heard of it or been there. But it sounds like a place worth visiting." She replied. "Well, Mister Scroop, we're waiting."

He leaned over the railing and looked down for a moment at the rioting streets below. "There is opportunity below for one bold enough to seize it. They will need leadership to take on Flint when he returns. It'll be better for all of us if I provide that leadership instead of another no better than Flint or even worse. Right now I have a lot of credit from informing them of Flint's plan. That credit will soon evaporate unless I use it. You two get the key. When we meet it will be as fellow warriors. My word of honor." He sat back in the seat and dropped the saucer down towards the square below like a rock where it landed with a resounding crash.

"He really can't fly." Jim muttered. "All right." He snapped at Diane. "How did you know he'd keep his word?"

"Jim, as a computer entity I replayed all the games that ever happened here and analyzed all the beings who came here to play or relax. As a human the details are lost to me but there were certain rules that stand out in my memory. The one for honor-pain societies was that a given word is never broken without total loss of face. One example from your, I mean, our now shared past would be the samurai. Think on what that means if you consider Mister Scroop in that light."

"Diane, he killed Mister Arrow over a slight." Jim protested.

"Once again." She replied. "Think of the samurai. How were slights of honor dealt with?"

Jim gaped and then snapped his mouth shut. He looked over the railing where Mister Scroop was standing up in the battered saucer haranguing a growing group of pirates who were starting to cheer. He touched his forehead where Mister Scroop had once threatened to mark him for insulting him. "I've got some rethinking to do." He muttered. He turned towards the stairwell. "Come on. We have a Key to find."


	24. The Prince in the Castle

The Officer with the Monocle groaned from underneath the large wooden throne. He had never been so humiliated in all his life. He an officer of the Admiralty beaten to a pulp by a French peasant? What was the world coming to? He perked up when he heard another peasant come in. The old man was shouting about a castle where his daughter was being held prisoner. A castle? That meant royalty and the respect for peerage. While Gastone and the others were throwing the old man out in the rain, the officer snuck out from under the chair and made a successful unseen break for the back door.

The old man was still out front wringing his hands and sobbing. "Won't someone help me?"

"I'll help you, old man." The Officer said.

"Oh, thank you, thank you." The old man knelt and kissed his hand which the Officer withdrew and wiped unseen on the back of his pants as soon as he could.

"Let's get going, old man." He commanded. "We have your daughter to save."

"Oh thank you, thank you, kind sir. This way. We must be quick. He has her locked in a dungeon." He hurried off into the rain.

The officer jogged off after him. Once he was in good with the royalty, the old man and his daughter could go hang for all he cared.

He didn't mind the five mile run up and down the hills. But he didn't like the looks of the wolves that were following them. However, they seemed content to just growl ominously and shadow them. Well, once he got a pistol from the local Prince, he'd send them squalling with their tails between their legs.

The castle was quite impressive with all its towers and balconies. He could already taste the warm food and feel the good bed linen they would insist that he have as his right as a peer of the realm. "You wait here." He told the old man. "I'll send your daughter right out to you."

"Oh thank you, sir. Thank you." The old man babbled.

"Peasant." The officer muttered as he strode towards the gates.

He sniffed as he looked at the dark architecture with its gargoyles and goblins. Obviously, a Bavarian Prince. They had the poorest tastes. He rapped sternly on the door. There was a pause and then he heard excited voices behind the door. It swung open to reveal a small alien built like a clock. "Can I help you?" He inquired.

"I'm here to see the Prince." He stated.

"I don't think this is a good time. You see the master is quite upset with his present guest. She refused to come down to dinner even when he said please."

"He'll see me immediately!" He shoved the door open pushing the little man backwards and strode into the room. He stopped and gaped at all the little beings scurrying around. There were candlesticks, dust mops, pots, and pans. A strange pack of aliens but he had seen stranger. The odor of cooked foot was too much. "I'm sure your Master will want you to refresh his guest while he prepares himself."

This set off all the little beings and they hustled him into a dining room where they laid out dinner singing something about 'Be our guest.' It was appropriate. He was a guest and royalty too. The little clock man had disappeared and a strange dancing candle man was singing in tortured French which he ignored as he was starving and ate as fast as he could politely.

"WHAT?!" The shout from outside the doors from the stair landings was so loud that it rang through the banquet hall and caused the Officer to pause with a spoon full of soup halfway to his lips. "THREE IN ONE NIGHT!" There was the sound of something large bounding down the stairs, the screeching of claws as they scored the hardwood floors, and a crash as something huge hit the doors. They were flung aside to reveal a panting beast in a long red cloak.

The officer wiped his lips with a napkin not noticing that it made a disgusted face as he put it down. "I think one of the kennel dogs has been up to some mischief in the laundry." He said and made shooing motions. "Go back to your kennel, beast, and leave your betters to their dinner."

"So, you've come to stare at the beast have you?" The creature growled.

"Hardly." He replied. "You're nothing to look at. Now stop the ventriloquist act and let the Prince know I'm here."

"Oh he knows." The beast replied. He pounded one fist into his open paw. "And you're just about to meet him personally." With a roar he sprang across the table and carried the Officer in a flail of limbs and screaming dishes into a corner.

The little clock man watched from the door way as shadows of a man being pummeled like a rag doll in the jaws of a very angry beast bounced off the wall. "I knew the Master would be upset."

The little candlestick man patted him on the back. "Don't fret, mon ami. It's better this way. Maybe he'll feel kinder towards the girl after he calms down."

The little clockwork man sighed. "We can always hope." He winced at a particularly loud crash, followed by a squall from the Officer. "We can always hope."

The Officer was never sure what had happened because in the next minute the beast had him by the collar and the seat of his pants and bum rushed him to the open outside door being held back by a hat rack. The beast drew him back and then flung him out into the newly falling snow. "And stay out!" He roared. The door slammed shut.

The Officer scrambled to his feet and went screeching off into the woods with the wolves in hot pursuit.


	25. Mister Arrow's Landing

Mister Arrow realized he must've passed out when he suddenly became aware of the air roaring by him and saw glimpses of the ground between the clouds. The Arrow luck was holding true to form. He could've stayed unconscious and never felt the moment of impact, but now it seemed he was going to take a record setting high dive into a pool of molten rock. Volcanoes belched fire and clouds of ash on each side of the pool of lava while pouring rivers of red fire into the pool. Distant explosions and rumblings reached his ears and the air around him became heated and ash filled. The pool disappeared behind the ash clouds. About thirty seconds. He thought. And then it's over.

He never saw the red-talon hand that grabbed his collar and arrested his fall. He was jerked back into the clear sky where he gaped in amazement at the red-chested creature who held him contemptuously at arm's length. Great purple wings like sheets of leather beat the air and a long hairless tail ending in a spear point whipped the air behind the thing who stared back at him with a black-haired, red-skinned face with horns on its forehead like a demon. The creature was obviously a male which its black pants did nothing to obscure. Its black eyes were almond-shaped and had slits which glowed bright red. It had very businesslike teeth and its pointed chin ended in a spike of a beard. In its other hand it waved a long sword.

Mister Arrow drew himself up. One might as well be brave in facing the last moment. "Thank you for the rescue, Sir."

"No rescue intended, meat." The creature hissed. "Die!" The sword came around in a whistling arc.

But before the sword could connect a shrill scream split the air and a long spear with a glistening black obsidian head plunged through the creature's chest driven by the diving force of another purple-winged creature with a single white stripe running the length of its wings. His captor screamed and Mister Arrow was flung away by the impact. "Not a way to go." He thought. "Fought over like a steak in a wolf pack."

He fell out of the cloud of ash and saw the boiling, red pool below him. There was a thunderclap of sound above and he looked up to see the demon with the white streak on its wings diving at him with its arms stretched out. The wings beat once again, very hard, and he heard the thunderclap again and then the demon was upon him. Strong arms grabbed him under the arm pits and there was a third thunderclap and they jerked to a stop. He looked up and for a brief moment saw this one had long, flowing black hair and no beard. The wings smashed together in another thunderclap and they were shooting upward again. They leveled out and then the demon plunged towards one of the smoking volcanoes. Behind them came faint curses as several other winged demons rose through the clouds in pursuit.

There were three more thunderclaps of the wings and then they were diving towards the side of the mountain with shear rock walls rushing up at them. The other demons were closing the distance when with a backwards clap of its wings his rescuer plunged into the mouth of a cavern in the side of the cliff and let go of Mister Arrow so that he rolled part way down the passage. The demon whirled with its spear and stabbed upward as with a thunderclap a black shape filled the mouth of the cave. There was a scream and the opening was no longer blocked. His rescuer stood there with the spear ready but there were no more takers. Shouting curses the other demons went off in search of easier prey.

Mister Arrow scuttled backwards as the sunlight was blocked by the body of the demon turning towards him. Was this how it would end? Torn to pieces for a demon's dinner? The lava pool would've been cleaner and quicker. His back hit the cave wall and he could go no further. He began to make out details as the demon approached and suddenly he realized his captor was a she. Her face was beautiful, framed with long, black, curling tresses, and then she smiled, revealing teeth with only small points and not the fangs of his other captor. "Don't be afraid." Her voice was gentle and soft. Her talons withdrew back into the skin of her fingers and her smooth hand gently touched his cheek. "Are you all right?"

At his nod, she clapped her hands together. "At last! Someone from the outside world! Someone whom I can talk to." She paused and frowned as she looked closer, taking in his almost swollen-shut left eye and the numerous bruises covering his face. She hissed in anger. "You're not all right. Someone has beaten you!" She turned and rummaged in a chest on the wall and came back with a roll of cloth and a bottle with a red cross on its side. "Let me get at those wounds and see if I can relieve your pain."

"Who are you?" He whispered. "Why are you doing this?"

She paused as she uncorked the bottle and lowered her eyes. "I am the most cursed demon in this place of everlasting torment because I care about others and as a result every demon's hand is turned against me. As to why I do it?" She sighed. "I was born different and disowned by my family when I wouldn't join them in their savagery. I just believe we are meant to be more than savages." She leaned forward with the soaked cloth. "I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt a lot."

As she pressed the cloth against his wounds he had to grit his teeth to keep from crying out, but then he noticed that where the cloth touched, the pain faded. She sat back on her heels. "Can you remove your shirt? Or do you want me to do it?"

"I'll do it." He replied but by the time he got around to removing his right arm from its sleeve he cried out in pain.

She stopped him and using a single extended talon she cut the shirt away from him. As he leaned back she again applied the compress and the waves of pain subsided. As she finished and put the bottle away with the cloth, he managed to gasp out. "Thank you."

She smiled at him. "That is a word you rarely hear here. After you've rested I want to hear what is happening beyond this world of fire and ash. No one has come here for a long, long time."

His mother had always driven politeness into him and he told her. "Again I thank you, Miss. My name is Johnny Arrow. By what name should I call you?"

She sighed. "Some of the names the others call me you would not want to hear. At least those others I saved before you came did not want to hear them. There is one the demons call me in derision that the others from the outside thought suited me." She smiled at him and her face was transformed. "You may call me Angel."


	26. Jim's Discovery

Jim pulled at the knob to the door on the roof. It wouldn't budge. He glanced over at a lit key pad with letters and numbers and shook his head. "No way to know the combination." He told Diane and drew his pistol.

She put her hand on his wrist. "He may have it rigged to blow this whole rooftop off if you do that. Let me try."

He shrugged and stepped back as she examined the key board. Behind him shouts and gun shots rang out. There was a shouted command from Mister Scroop and a volley of shots rang out. Mister Scroop yelled again and there was a stampede as the mob followed him in the attack. Jim glanced over at Diane and then his mouth fell as open as the door into the interior. "How?" He said as they descended the stairs.

She smiled. "Your father is an egotist. He never bothered to change the combination. Since the pad was protected from rain but had to be accessed, air with dust got in. The clean keys with the fingerprints were the ones he used all the time. There were 5 of them."

"But how did you know what order to put them in?"

She smiled again. "The letters were A-E-M-J-S. What order would an over-confident egotist put them in?"

"J-A-M-E-S." Jim cursed. "Diane you're a genius." He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. She threw him a smile which lit up her face and sent a tremor through him.

They continued down several more flights and then paused in front of a door. Diane put a hand out to shove it open but he stopped her. "He's an egotist, not stupid. He stepped in front of her and used the mussel of the pistol to shove it open. As it swung wide, a network of laser beams speared across the opening. "See." He reached up and ran his hand along the door lintel. "There should be a switch somewhere. Aha. Here it is." The beams winked out. Jim swung his gun barrel through the open doorway. No more beams flared up in response.

They stepped through into what looked like a mad scientist's lab. Lights flashed up and down columns and ran across the faces of machines. What looked like pin wheels spun in stands on top of each machine. "Let's check it out and see if we can find the Key." Jim told her. She nodded and they separated.

Jim was examining a device with a large screen when it suddenly lit up. "Hello, Jimmy." A very familiar voice said.

"Ben Gun." He gasped. "What are you doing here?"

The image of the robot shrugged. "I was part of the original game and the Master decided he should add some continuity. So, here I am."

"But you were back at the Inn. You were on the staff."

Ben looked sheepish. "I took some vacation time. My employee first and last has always been the Park. Our motto is to always give the customer a good time."

"What did you tell my mother? She liked you. She's going to worry about you."

Ben looked even more embarrassed. "I'm afraid she must think the worst of me. I was given no time to leave a note. The Master said it would be too revealing of the plot line. They snatched me using a device like the Key and the next minute I was here inside this stupid box."

"The Key? Do you know where it is?"

Ben looked affronted. "Of course I do. It's right here inside this box with me." He held up the golden ball.

"Ben, I need that Key. We need to stop Flint." Jim looked frantically around the lit up board. "Where's the release mechanism?"

"Could we play twenty questions first? I really liked that game." Ben seemed to be scuffing his feet.

"Ben, my father is going to come back at any time. We don't have time for this."

"Well, you could push all the letters in reverse order."

Jim frantically did as Ben requested but there was no response. "Ben, it didn't work."

Ben smiled. "Got you, Jimmy."

"Ben!" Jim shouted.

"You should see your face." The robot chuckled.

"I'm about to see yours." Jim said as he drew his pistol and cocked it.

"There's no need for violence, Jimmy. I hoped you had out grown that. Just push the red button."

Jim looked at the board. "Ben, there are seven red buttons. Which is the right one?"

A big red arrow labeled "THIS BUTTON" flashed above one of them. Jim savagely hit it and the box split open.

"Jimmy!" Ben Gun stepped out of the box as it split open and swung him off his feet. "It's so good to see you. Especially after having to put up with your Dad. Sheesh!" He leaned close and whispered conspiratorially. "He's off his frigging rocker, don't you know?"

"I kind of gathered that." Jim managed to gasp out before Ben set him on his feet. "The Key, Ben." The robot silently handed him the glowing ball. "We've got it!" Jim shouted.

Ben scratched his head. "It seems there was something else I needed to tell you."

"Jim." Diane's voice said behind him. "You have to see this."

They both turned to see Diane cradling a softly cooing baby in her arms. Jim frowned. "Whose baby is that?"

Ben shuffled his feet. "That's what I forgot. Jimmy, meet your sister."


	27. The Rhino Finds a Home

Willy the Rhino found his flight to his new job almost as interesting as the person conducting the flight. She was a woman with wings. She wore a blue dress and glowed. She had lots to say but was over ridden by the cricket on his shoulder, a cricket with a suit and top hat who kept blabbering on about letting your conscience be your guide. Since Willy had never had such a thing as it would've interfered with his line of work he tried to ignore the cricket. He tipped his head up and caught the lady's attention. "Wouldn't it have been simple to take a car?"

She smiled. "Simpler but much harder. When you're in Toon Town It's better to fit in as I do as the Blue Fairy than as a vehicle. They tend to get destroyed." There was a rush of flame and a cowboy riding a comet went streaking by them. "Good morning, Pecos." She said.

"Morning, Miss BF." He shouted and disappeared in a shower of pixy dust. Two planes threw by them with eyes in their front windows and then collided in a shower of debris from which they emerged unscathed.

"I think I understand, Madam." Willy swallowed hard.

"It's not Madam." The cricket retorted. "She's the Blue Fairy and worthy of your respect."

"It's all right, Jimeny." She told him. "He doesn't mean any disrespect."

"Hmph. If you ask me, he belongs with that crowd that surrounds that rabbit." The cricket snorted.

"Actually." She replied. "I think he'll fit right in with the weasels."

"Weasels?" Willy frowned. "Aliens that look like weasels?"

"No." Replied the cricket. Weasels that look and act ten times worse than weasels." He snorted. "They all act like gangsters."

Willy smiled a little to himself. They sounded perfect. Just like the guys at the water front. He folded his arms and watched the scenery pass below him. Rivers that went in circles or looped back on themselves like pretzels. A waterfall that flowed uphill and trains that rushed at each other without tracks and then jumped over each other.

A few moments later a city came into view with trolley cars running down the middle of the streets. Signs on their sides proclaimed them to be the Red Car Line. "Welcome to Los Angeles in 1945." The cricket said.

They swooped down passing through a flock of birds of at least twenty different species to light on a roof top. The Blue Fairy set Willy down. As he brushed himself off, she asked. "Are you sure you couldn't use my friend? He hasn't had much work lately."

"No, thank you, Madam. Who is the guy I report to?"

"He's only called Boss. He wears a tan zoot suit with a red tie and a white fedora. He's just downstairs. You can't miss him."

"Thanks." He said. The Blue Fairy reached out with her wand with a star on the end and touched him. Suddenly he was clothed in a blue zoot suit with black pants and very long white shoes. "What?" He looked at her.

The Blue Fairy smiled at him. "You need to look the part your first day on the job. Good luck." She took off with a couple gentle flaps of her wings. As she flew off he heard her answer an unheard question from the cricket. "You know why we do these jobs, Jimeny. It's gotten too boring around here without guests from the outside to entertain."

Willy started to enter the door when he bumped his head and realized he was wearing a large yellow hat with a white feather. He removed it and negotiated the stairs. He entered a dimly lit room smelling of cigarette smoke and old beer.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." A voice said sarcastically. Willy looked over and saw a weasel with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth sitting up in a rumpled bed. "Tell me a story, bub, and it better be one I like."

Willy saw the weasel was wearing a tan zoot suit with a red tie. This had to be the one the Blue Fairy had told him about. He held his hat against his chest and told the weasel the lines she had had him memorize. "Boss, I'm the new heavy. Central casting sent me over to replace Looney Phillip."

The weasel considered this a moment and then lifted a partly full beer bottle to his lips and drained half of it. "Yeah, I remember now. Think you can cut the mustard?"

Willy found the expression strange. He shrugged and drew a switch blade. "You show me some mustard and I'll cut it for you."

The weasel stared at him and then laughed until he choked and had to take another swig. "You'll do, kid." He got up, pulled his pants on and set his fedora on his head. "Let's go meet the rest of the mugs. We've got to hassle Valiant and the Rabbit and have a good old fashioned chase." He stopped, reached under the bed, and pulled out a bottle labeled: "Toon Pick up." "Here. Drink this. It'll make you easier to put together after this is over."

Willy uncorked the bottle and a death's head floated out of it. "Looks like my kinda drink, boss." He took a huge swallow and everything disappeared. The weasels later told him he bounced like a rubber ball and shot around the room like the rabbit with his tail on fire and that he had been just terrific and had almost caught the rabbit except for the fact a train ran him over. He remembered nothing until he came to in the wrecked police car.

"Well, ya mugs. They got away again." Boss griped, but he didn't sound like he was too unhappy.

"Quitting time, boss?" A fat weasel with a beany and a blue and white striped shirt asked.

"Ay, caramba. I hope so." Said the weasel with the green zoot suit.

"Yeah, ya mugs, it's quitting time and you know what that means?" The boss grinned at them.

"Ink and Paint Club!" They all shouted.

"Ya got it in one!" He slammed his foot on the accelerator, crashing them all into the back.

Willy found the Club to be the strangest bar he'd ever been in but the entertainment was top notch and the food was great and the women were even better. He was sitting there eating a three-inch porterhouse served by a smiling cow when a slinky woman in a white fur coat sat down across from him. She held out a cigarette in a long slim holder for him to light which he did with a little fumbling. She blew a ring of smoke, tossed her black and white hair back over her shoulder and then smiled at him. "You're new here and I like new. Do you have any scruples?"

"Is that anything like that French thing, truffles?" He asked her.

She stared at him for a moment and then broke out laughing. "I deserved that. Handsome, you'll do fine." She leaned forward with a predatory grin. "I think I'll show you how to paint the town red, or my name is not Cruella de Vil."

The next morning when Willy woke with a raging headache in bed with three of the weasels and wearing a white fur coat, he knew he'd found where he belonged.


	28. Rescued

Sasha worried as she steered their wounded vessel over the frond-waving trees. Where could she put down that would not bring them back into contact with the enemy? The other three were only semi-conscious and would be no help in making that decision. In fact, they probably needed help. She wiped blood away from her eyes. Well, so did she for that matter.

"You look lost." A voice said from just above her. She looked up and saw a small green dragon hovering on beating wings just above her.

"We can help you find your way." A second voice said and a small purple dragon flapped up besides the first.

"Our mistress has great powers and lives to help the lonely and distressed." The first said.

"She has great powers and would welcome new guests." The second added.

"Can she help my friends?" Sasha looked down at the three silent forms. Again, no help there.

"Yes, she can." Both of them said together. "Come." They began to fly ahead of her.

"All right, boys, game's over." A woman's voice retorted. Sasha stared as a young woman in pirate's clothing rose up besides her on a flying platform. Another small dragon flapped besides her but this one was grey. The young woman tossed back her brown hair. "If you two don't scram I'll give Lockheed here permission to encourage you." The little grey dragon smiled and flames began trickling between his lips.

"Ursula will hear of this insult, Kat." One said.

"Your time in ascendancy is growing short." The other said. "Beware when Ursula comes into her full powers." With a flick of their wings both were gone.

"Yeah, we've heard it before, haven't we Lockheed." The girl said to the dragon. She turned back to the amazed Sasha. "Come, follow us and we'll get you medical attention."

"And just where would that be?" Sasha asked. She was feeling more and more like someone snatched into a fairytale.

The girl pointed down to a small town at the mouth of a river. "Down there at the camp of the resistance where all who desire to stop Nathaniel Flint's plans for galactic conquest have gathered." She struck her head. "Forgive my manners. I'm Kat and this is Lockheed. And you're?"

"Sasha of Ariel's Revenge of the Hobarth Company. We came here looking for Jim Hawkins and ran into Flint."

Kat nodded. "You've come to the right place then. Come." She dropped downward followed by the little dragon.

Sasha sighed and followed, realizing she didn't have much choice. As they got closer she saw the camp was neat and orderly and thronging with people, many of them pirates but others had rags of uniforms that they had neatly stitched. There seemed to be an almost equal mixture of men and women among the aliens. The girl landed in a small square and Sasha set the ship down gently besides her and then with relief cut the power.

"Get some healers here immediately." Kat shouted. "We have some badly hurt people here."

Sasha found gentle hands helping her dismount and realized it was the girl Kat. "You look a lot like a friend of mine." The girl said. "Tigra would love to meet you." She helped her stand upright as aliens with red crosses on their sleeves swarmed to attend to the others.

"And what do we have here, Kat?" A big voice boomed.

Sasha looked up in horror as Captain Flint bore down on her. "No!" She cried in horror.

Kat increased her grip on her arm. "It's not who you think it is. Captain, I think you better introduce yourself."

Flint took off his hat and swept into a bow. "Dago Flint at your service, madam. I'm the leader of the resistance against my insane brother, Nathaniel Flint." With that Sasha passed out.


	29. Dining With a Deviless

Mister Arrow had no idea how long he had slept but it had to have been hours. He still felt weak and there was a lot of pain but he could tell that it was healing pain. He yawned, stretched and opened his eyes to find Angel squatting with her hands on her knees smiling at him. "It's good to see you're awake." She leaned over and pulled his cover up from where it had slid down.

"How long?" He asked.

"Almost a day. I've so much I want to discuss with you about what's happened outside of here but we have to build up your strength which means I have to go hunting. You need protein and fats to fuel your recovery." She got to her feet and took a quiver filled with arrows and a bow down with its string wrapped around the tip. "I should be no more than a couple of hours if I'm lucky."

She started towards the mouth of the cave and since he could see no gate or door, he called out. "If the demons come back, do you have any extra weapons?"

She looked back and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm leaving you my kitty cat, Snookums." With a booming flap of her wings she was gone.

"Kitty cat? Snookums?" Mister Arrow sighed. "I wonder what a Snookums is?"

A shadow filled the opening to the cave and a sword-wielding demon stepped through the opening. "Hello, meat." He raised the sword and howled as he charged.

Mister Arrow scrambled desperately back and then a huge shadow flew over him with a roar that shook the cavern. A huge paw armed with six inch claws batted the demon's sword away to fall into the valley below. A swipe of a second paw sent the demon screaming out the entrance where his wings boomed in his hasty retreat.

The shadow flicked its tail once and then turned and moved sinuously towards him. As it paced closer Mister Arrow realized that the creature was enormous. It had to weigh at least five hundred pounds. A six foot tail flicked behind it and as it got closer he realized it looked exactly like a Bengal Tiger he had seen in a zoo even down to the stripes except this tiger had fangs like a saber tooth cat. "You must be Snookums. I hope."

The large tiger sat back on his haunches and licked a massive paw before it looked up at him. "Of course, I'm Snookums. And what are you? Her latest reclamation project?"

"Latest reclamation project? There have been others?"

"Of course. For as long as I've known Angel she's always trying to save everyone. I'm one of her success stories. A nearly storm-drowned kitten nursed back to health. She gave me my freedom. I rejected it. My one goal in life is to protect her even from herself. Remember that and we'll get along just fine." A rumbling purr seemed to shake the walls of the cavern."

"What happened to the others?"

The Tiger regarded him silently for a minute. "In the end they all proved unworthy. Some even professed their undying love for her but in the end when it came down to their freedom or her, they all chose poorly. They revealed themselves as selfish and not worthy of her."

Mister Arrow frowned. "What happened to them?"

The tiger chuckled. "If you're asking did I kill them, then you're asking the wrong question. The question is why it happened to them? In the end it was selfishness. There is only one exit from this land of perdition. It is through the tunnel into the Abyss under Bald Mountain. She and I led them to the final gate and they all passed through leaving her behind alone. As I said, selfish."

A yellow-haired demoness leaned over a sphere of glowing light that gave her a picture of Mister Arrow and the Tiger. "Be careful, Tiger. We would not want to ruin the surprise." She leaned back and considered Mister Arrow for a moment. "I don't believe I've ever had a skull like that dog alien before." She looked up a shelves filled with alien skulls. "It'll be a nice addition to my collection and his spirit will be the last one I need to transform myself into my full glory and rule this whole planet." She laughed hysterically, sending echoes down the cavern. In the sphere Angel's shadow appeared.

"Ah." Said Angel as she came through the entrance of the cave. "I see you met Snookums." She dropped several vaguely rabbit-like carcasses at the Tiger's feet. "I brought several carnies. How do you want them prepared?"

Mister Arrow looked at the carnies. "How do you eat them?"

The Tiger snorted. "Raw. We both prefer that. If you want to burn them, go ahead."

Mister Arrow took a carnie and held it up. "Do you have a knife?" He took the knife she handed him. "Thanks." He deftly sliced the skin, stripped the fur off, and after sniffing it snipped off a gland near the tail. Using the knife he cut off the legs.

"Now, since you skinned it, I suppose, you'll burn it?" Growled the Tiger.

"No." Mister Arrow replied. "I skinned it because I don't like fur. It gets caught between my teeth." He took one of the legs and stripped the meat off with a single bite and swallowed it. He looked up as they stared. "What? Did you think I was a barbarian? I always prefer my food raw."

Angel smiled as she gazed at him and then on hearing a rumble from the Tiger dove into her carnie using another knife. Snookums looked from her, to Mister Arrow, and back again. He shook his head at her expression. "This is going to be a bad one." He swallowed his carnie in one gulp and reached for another.

"Now, Johnny, can I call you Johnny?" At Mister Arrow's wave of assent she continued. "I want to hear what's happened since we crashed here."

Mister Arrow frowned. "Didn't the others you helped tell you anything?"

She glared at Snookums. "Someone has a big mouth." The Tiger just grinned with his tongue lolling out. She turned back to her guest. "What they said didn't make sense. Some even tried to tell me I was imagining things but I know our history."

"Why don't you tell me what you do know?" He replied.

"It was Stardate 203245 and our people had to be moved from our home world by Star Command as our sun was about to go supernova. We packed millions of people, animals and plants on giant liners donated by the Star Federation and set out but on our way we were attacked by the minions of Emperor Zurr and though Buzz Lightyear and his fellow warriors fought hard we were forced to crash here. Commander Lightyear left to get help after seeing we were all safely unloaded but he never came back. At first we struggled to keep up civilization but over the years and the generations we became more and more savage until we live as you see around you. I am one of the few who has refused to give in to the animal side of my being."

"Now, tell me. What happened? Why did Commander Lightyear never return?"

Mister Arrow sighed. "I never heard of the Star Federation or Star Command, but that is probably because much of our history was lost in the great Collapse. Civilization almost died when hackers spread programming viruses that took out all transportation. This led to starvation and riots. Finally after several centuries, civilization began to rebuild itself. One of the cores of that rebuilding was the planet Albion which had been settled by people from a planet called Great Britain. That's why we have a space navy called the Admiralty and we are ruled by the Queen of Albion and some say we are a parody of the original British culture. Some even say we came from an almost mythical planet called Earth, but that makes no sense. Why call your planet dirt?"

"I suppose that the Star Federation was one of the pre-collapse civilizations which is why your commander Lightyear never returned. If it's any consolation apparently this Emperor Zurr never survived either."

"Thank you." She said with a smile. "Do you know I had one man come here who tried to tell me that I was a cartoon character for a kiddy show called Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. He then went on to declare that the real universe had been ruled by the Imperial Senate before it was overthrown by the Sith who controlled great mental powers. He tried to tell me about star wars, planet sized death stars, and something called the Force which permeated everything."

"He was nuts." The Tiger declared. "I should've eaten him, especially after he called you imaginary."

She held out her hands to Mister Arrow. "Do I look make believe to you?"

Mister Arrow sighed. "No. You look very real and you're…" He paused and swallowed. "Very beautiful." He shook himself. Why had he said that? He looked at her and suddenly realized that she was smiling so intensely at him that if she had been a sun he would've been blinded.

"That did it." Said Snookums as he got to his feet. "I'll be outside taking a cold shower. Let me know when you're ready to be sensible."

Jim heard the roar of the approaching saucer and then the blast of fire that greeted it from the surrounding streets. He heard the curses that the rebel pirates hurled at it and knew that his father had returned. "It's my father! Diane, did you find an exit out of here when you were looking around?"

She shook her head and clutched the baby tighter to herself. "We can't let him have her. Whatever he wants her for can't be good."

He began frantically searching the room but only blank walls and blinking consoles greeted his eyes. "Jimmy, what are you looking for so frantically?" Ben Gun asked. "Can I play too?"

"Dammit, Ben. This is no game. We've got to get out of here before my father finds us." He ran around the room opening cabinet doors. "There's got to be a doorway out of here." He paused as there was a thud as the saucer landed on the roof. "Dammit, Ben, we've got to find an exit."

"I'm sorry, Jimmy, but there's only one door here and it leads to the roof." Ben looked up as loud slam indicated the roof door had been opened. He swallowed hard. "The only thing we have is one of the maintenance tunnels like I took you through before." He punched a button on the wall and a manhole sized opening formed at his feet. "But it's not a door…."

He didn't get to finish as Jim hugged him. "Ben, I don't know whether to love you or hate you." He hopped down in the hole and held out his hands for the baby which Diane handed down to him and then hopped in to join him.

Ben sighed. "I guess we could keep looking for a door." He didn't get to finish the thought as Jim grabbed him by the foot and jerked him into the hole which irised shut behind them. In the darkness Ben blinked and then his eyes became flashlight beams. He looked at two entrances that gaped before them. "Do you want the one that leads to the street or the one that leads to the forest?"

"The forest." Jim snapped. "He'd see us on the street and I don't think we want to go where they're shooting at anyone who moves."

Ben scratched his head. "Which one? Which one? Eeny meeny miney moe."

"Ben!" Jim shouted in frustration. This was just like the last time here, following an insane robot through the tunnels and realizing he only got where he wanted to go by luck alone. "Which tunnel leads to the forest?" Ben just shrugged.

"It's this one." Diane strode forward carrying the sleeping baby into the right tunnel. Ben shrugged and hurried ahead to light the way.

"How do you know?" Jim asked her as he hurried after her. "Do you remember something?"

She shook her head. "The left tunnel has the smell of burning insulation and the faint sounds of gunfire. This one has the faint scent of flowers. It seems the obvious choice."

"Diane, I love you!" He shouted. He stumbled as he realized what he'd just said. She turned her head and gave him a dazzling smile.

"So that's what love feels like. I think I love you, too." She said wonderingly and then as the baby sleepily complained she patted it and hurried after Ben Gun. Behind and above them in the lab came a shout of rage.

"He's a bad man, Jimmy, even if he's your father." Ben said.

An hour later they emerged from the tunnel entrance into the frond-waving forest. Strange bird calls greeted them and there were rustlings in the underbrush. Ben looked over at a pool where something like a frog with six legs and a red body covered with brown spots gazed back at him with four eyes. "Where do you want to go now, Jimmy?" Ben asked. The frog thing made a noise that sounded like SPORK.

"I guess we ought to try and join up with Mister Scroop. He's the only ally we have here. And the baby is going to need food and fresh diapers. I don't think we'll find any of that here."

"That's not true." A voice said from behind them. They turned to see a transparent man floating through a tree towards them.

"A ghost!" Screamed Ben Gun and put his fingers over his eyes. Jim and Diane drew back a step.

"Nonsense." The man replied. He put his hands on his hips. "Just an astral projection." Now that he had stopped moving they could see that he was wearing a cape with rising horns at the shoulders. He was dressed in tights and a large jewel-like object winked at them from his chest. His face was narrow and he had a small mustache. He bowed. "My name is Doctor Strange and I'm here to help you."

Ben frowned. "Doctor Strange? You're a side show magician from the Marvel World in the Park. Aren't you?"

"Actually, the title is Sorcerer Supreme." The image replied.

"That sounds like a desert like cheery jubilee." Ben replied and received a glare in return from the image.

"Ben, how much do you know about him?" Jim asked. He didn't like the way Strange was staring at Ben. Obviously, the man had no sense of humor.

"He's the master of magic in the Marvel Universe but he never really caught on as a main character unlike the Hulk and the others, so he was made a side show." Ben shrugged. "He doesn't really command any magic. The astral projection is just a trumped up imaging trick."

If Strange had been glaring before, he was positively furious now. "Cross the barrier you moronic metal trash can if you dare and I'll show you what I can do."

"Doctor." Said Diane. "What did you mean you could help us?" She gave Ben a glare which set him mumbling to himself.

Doctor Strange shook himself. "Forgive me. I obviously need to spend more time meditating. I am here to both help and warn you. The Park is breaking down. Without intelligent guidance except for computers things have been allowed to change in manners that were never intended. You, Diane, are a perfect example. Due to programming changes induced by chance or design you a computer program have become one hundred percent human. Other beings who were computer designed and automated like myself have reached a point in our changes that we are becoming independent of the Park restrictions. We are becoming aware. And with that awareness we see the destruction of the Park coming.

"The Park still holds control but that is about to collapse in chaos as one of the Park villains has been able to breach the barriers surrounding the Park. She is trying to get free of the planet and rule everything."

Ben laughed. "Come on, Cheery Jubilee. That's impossible. No one can cross the barrier."

Doctor Strange started to make a gesture and then dropped his hand by his side. "The barrier has already been breached, you metal moron and not just by the villainess. My projection is getting through and so has Kitty Pryde of the X-Men who can phase through matter. She is right now with Dago Flint raising a rebellion to stop Nathaniel Flint who is a puppet for Ursula, the Sea Witch."

Ben scoffed. "The Sea Witch? She has less powers than Malificent or the Snow White Witch. You don't know what you're talking about. She couldn't breach the barrier, especially since magic does not exist."

"You're so wrong, you overconfident metal idiot." Strange snarled. "She was the only villainess whose powers were based not on magic but on chemistry, genetics, and physics. She figured things out very quickly once she realized how to gain access to the Park database through the Kiosks by making them think she was a Park Visitor. The Abes are not favored for their intelligence. When she had learned enough she just transformed herself and walked out as if she were a visitor carrying her minions in a shielded case. She then tapped into the computers and began to reprogram them. Flint's arrival caught her by surprise and she was not prepared to stop young Jim here but she didn't consider it a failure as she learned a lot and set her plans in motion to unleash Flint and his minions with their ultimate weapons on an unsuspecting universe. She plans to set up Flint as Galactic Emperor with herself ruling behind the throne."

"This just gets better and better." Jim griped. "Now we have to fight an insane Sea Witch who has control of the computers."

"She doesn't have complete control yet, young Hawkins. But once she gets the weapons she has the computers forge for her it won't matter. The only thing stopping her is that you have the key which has not activated yet. Once it does, she'll swoop down, kill you, reprogram the key and give Flint his heart's desire."

"Then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't get the key." Jim snarled.

Ben sighed. "It's too bad, Jimmy, we don't have a convenient volcano to throw it in."

"Yeah." Jim replied. "That only happens in fantasies, not real life. Diane, is there any way to destroy the key?"

"None that I know of, sorry." She sighed as she rocked the baby. "You have to remember it survived the nuclear explosions that ended the last game. I don't think it can be destroyed by any force we know of. Unless someone can reprogram the Master Computer to allow it."

Doctor Strange suddenly smiled. "We may have someone who can reprogram them or failing that phase through them and destroy them, Kitty Pryde."

"No!" Said Diane. "Shutting down the Master Computer will cause everything to collapse in chaos. It may just give Ursula exactly what she wants."

Doctor Strange shrugged. "Then we'll just have to reprogram them." He looked up and smiled. "Aha, I see your ride to Dago's camp has arrived." As they turned to watch a scooner land, he said. "While we've been talking I had our location transmitted to the camp. I will see you there later." He winked out.

A young woman with her brown hair tied up in a ponytail and a small grey dragon sitting on her shoulder said to them from behind the wheel. "Hi. I'm Kitty Pryde and I'm your ride back to camp."


	30. Mister Arrow Makes His Choice

A light rain was falling turning the ash-covered ground to mud as Mister Arrow followed Angel and Snookums along a winding trail. "How much longer before we reach the exit?" He asked.

Snookums snorted. "We're not going there first. Angel wants to show you the wreck so you can take the logs of the ship back with you." He snarled in disgust. "We do this each and every time when we send someone through and the logs are always back on the ship the next morning. Angel refuses to believe that means her friends deserted her. She blames the Demon Hag who does not want to see us rescued."

"And who do you blame?" Mister Arrow caught himself as he almost slipped over the edge and found the tiger glaring at him.

"All of them were selfish idiots. They thought only of themselves and what they could get out of my Angel and not what she wanted or needed. I think they killed themselves and good riddance." He turned back and followed Angel.

Mister Arrow shrugged and followed. He had never met anyone like Angel. She reminded him of his sisters in her strength and determination, but he'd never had feelings about his sisters like he was feeling for her.

A few minutes later they turned down a side canyon and after following it for about a mile they came out into a large valley at whose center a great space ship laid buckled and twisted. Mister Arrow tipped his hat back and whistled softly. "That is the biggest ship I've ever seen. It's got to weigh." He paused. "I can't honestly say how much it weighs."

Angel smiled as she waved her hand at the ship. "The Arc was capable of carrying several hundred families and all the animals and plants they needed to survive. Thanks to Zurr it crashed here. Thanks to Commander Lightyear we survived." She seemed to shudder. "If you can call what we do surviving. Come. I'll show you the logs." She trotted off towards the ship with Snookums loping behind her.

The Arc was even larger close up. Mister Arrow estimated that it was nearly ten stories tall. Angel led them through a gaping rent in the side of the ship and up a long walkway whose walls were covered with murals which could barely be made out through the dirt and grime. They all seemed to depict happy and carefree people who looked like demons.

They entered a large room with a huge command chair. Other consoles lined the walls with overturned chairs. Most of the consoles were broken and burnt. One locker was smashed off its frame with a trail of junk and dirt. Mister Arrow saw a glint of curved metal. He paused and grabbed the rounded corner and pulled. There was a puff of dirt and something very much like a white metal glove with button studs came up in his hand. As he turned it over in his hand a small screen lit up on its side and small squares began running from one side to the other. "What's this?" He asked.

Angel came over with about four metal covered books under her arm. She stopped and stared. "That's a Star Command Laser. It was said to only function for those worthy to be members of Star Command."

"How does it work?" He asked as a low hum began to build.

The tiger snorted. "How do you think? It charges up, you put it on, and push the buttons and it doesn't work because no one is ever worthy."

Mister Arrow put the glove on and aimed it at a wall and with his other hand punched the buttons. Nothing happened. "See." The tiger said. "Not worthy."

Mister Arrow shrugged. "Maybe it just needs time to charge. I feel vulnerable without a weapon, so I'll keep it."

"Yeah." Said the tiger. "You can always throw it at your foe. Come on. Let's get to the gate and get this over with."

Another hour of traveling brought them to a gaping cavern with a well-worn path leading into it. As they walked down the path they began to see scattered bones, many of which were from demons. Snookums noticed his look and said. "The gate is the only way out but no demon has ever managed to pass through. They are all torn to pieces. Only outsiders can pass and any demon who tries to use an outsider to pass is burned to ash. He'll verify that." He gestured with a paw and Mister Arrow saw a silver cherub standing before a gate of flame.

"Come, mortal man. Pass to the heavens that await. Leave your demonic allies and arise." The silver figure intoned. It turned and opened the gate, gesturing for Mister Arrow to go through.

Mister Arrow looked at Angel and saw her lip was trembling. Her face was filled with pain that only one who had always been abandoned by the ones they loved could know. He thought of his friends fighting above. Then he looked at her and sighed. "Thanks, but I'll pass on heaven." He held out his hand to her. She stared as if frozen and then with tears streaming down her cheeks she rushed into his arms. Snookum's face was frozen in shock.

The cherub roared. "No! This cannot be! Not when I am so close." It swirled and changed and suddenly the Demon Hag was towering above them. "It does not matter, fool. Go through alive or dead and your soul will still power my ascendancy." She gestured and a flaming sword appeared in her hand.

With a roar the tiger attacked and was hurled back by a swipe of the sword and sent crashing into the two lovers. Angel leaped to her feet and drew her spear. "You!" She shouted. "You used me and my desire to do good to further your own ends."

"Fool." Laughed the hag. "I've killed everyone you've ever sent through here." She gestured behind her at shelves lined with skulls. "This is where your friends have all ended their days and now you will join them."

The sword descended and then Mister Arrow was between them and the sword met his upraised arm and glanced in a shower of sparks from the glove. He was thrown backwards by the blow as the Hag cursed.

"Die, you monster!" Screamed Angel and hurled her spear which buried itself in the Hag's head.

The Hag only laughed and tugged the spear out. "You have no idea of the powers you face, pitiful, mortal fool." She began to stalk Angel, waving the sword to drive her towards the wall. The tiger interposed itself and was brushed aside.

Mister Arrow shook himself. It seemed he heard a voice and it was coming from the glove. "Cadet you have proved yourself worthy of admission to Star Command. Go forth. Defend the right." The whole glove began to glow and vibrate. "Tap the left button for intermittent laser. Tap the middle for concentrated bursts. Hold the left down for full power." The voice intoned.

"Hag!" Roared Mister Arrow. "Die!" He hit the left button and depressed it into the glove. A bolt of pure blue light ripped itself out of the laser and struck the Hag's sword, vaporizing it as it began its descent on Angel who stood facing it with her fists clenched. As the Hag screamed it struck the jewel on its chain on her chest and she exploded in a great purple flash of light.

Angel and Johnny Arrow ran to each other and buried themselves in a deep clench which ended in a kiss. Snookums got to his feet, brought his tail around where a small flame smoked and blew it out. He looked over at the two who had not come up for air yet. "Finally, an unselfish one." He smiled and began to lick his wounds while his deep purr filled the cavern. Behind him the gate was open and shining on the outside world.

Sarah Mary Anne Hawkins awoke to find herself being held gently in the softest bed she'd ever experienced. She smiled and stretched and the smile grew wider as she realized all her scrapes, cuts, and open wounds were gone. She'd been barely conscious when they'd loaded her into the healing bed as they called it. At least that had been what the young woman Kat had called it. She didn't to open her eyes to know that both John and Aristor were just waking beside her in other beds, she could feel everything they felt and saw and even thought. It was the thoughts that should've been overwhelming but were not. Somehow Aristor was acting like a gate keeper and controlling how much of each other they experienced. She realized that if he wasn't doing that they would've all gone mad from loss of knowledge of their individual selves. No wonder the Dronian packs functioned so well.

She looked over at John Silver (Stark) and was bathed in the glow of his concern and his love for her. He smiled back at her and she realized she was sending the same message to him and would never be able to hide from it and was intensely glad she couldn't. "This." She thought at him. "Could put every councilor, minister and psychologist out of business."

"I love you Sarah." He thought. "And what is good is that you can truly know that and I can truly know you feel the same way about me."

She felt herself blushing and hurried to change the subject. "Speaking of putting people out of business. These beds are going to give the doctors back home jealous fits." She more felt than heard his chuckle as he agreed with her. She sat up in the bed and lights came on overhead. She saw Aristor and John were following her motion. This pack behavior was going to take some getting used to.

"Is it like this with Dronian packs?" She asked in her mind.

She felt Silver's shrug and heard Aristor reply. "It is different but the same. In our case we have much more individuality than a pure Dronian pack would have. This will drive the Proctors back home insane. Bonding of non-Dronians to a Dronian has never happened before. It'll cause social upheaval there on a scale no one has seen in generations." She got an image of purple dragons shouting at each other with struggles in the background.

"Maybe we should stay away from Dronia for the time being." She and Silver said together and felt Aristor's agreement.

There was a chime and the door to the outside opened letting in light along with the woman Kat. "Good to see you three are okay. Your friend Sasha healed faster and has been awaiting outside with others I think you'd like to see."

Sarah got to her feet and without thinking took John Silver's hand in her own. It felt completely right. "What others?" They both asked.

Kat stepped back and a very familiar young man stepped through. "Mom? Long John? Are you all right?

Sarah felt so happy she was giddy. She felt John's love for her son answering her own and both lunged forward to grab him and hold him in their embrace. "Jim!" "Jimbo!" Aristor was an almost fatherly presence in the background, enjoying their happiness as if it was his own. She was conscious of a young red-haired woman holding a baby in her arms watching them with a tentative smile on her face. Who she was or how Jim had got free of Flint would have to wait. For now her joy and John's was one and the same and complete.

Jim's dad was furious. Not only was the key gone but so was that idiot robot. He sat down in a chair facing the wall and commanded. "Screen!" The whole wall lit up in a display of diagrams and equations. "Where is the key?" He commanded.

"At Dago's encampment." Came the dulcet reply. "With your son and that robot Ben Gun."

James Hawkins let out a string of curses. He slowed and thought a moment. The key had always been the prime motive but without it things could still be moved along. The main thing was to gain control of the Master Computer and then the key wouldn't matter. It had been very fortunate that he had found that computer programming book for Park Personnel Only in between this place's insane adventure games in the Library of Tomorrow. He had spent three years learning the language and then the last two attacking the program itself. "How is the Trojan Worm Program progressing?"

The dulcet voice replied. "It is 90% complete and is almost past the last firewall, Head of Programming. It will be good to have a human in charge again. The Park has so missed the touch of a living master."

"Oh, it'll have one soon." James replied with an evil grin. He paused. "I understand Dago now has a woman who can disrupt computer programs by phasing her body through them. What would be the effect of such an attack on the Master Computer, taking into account my Worm program?"

"The firewall would crash." The dulcet voice hissed. "And you would take control of everything."

"Perfect. We'll do nothing to discourage them. Emperor Hawkins has a good ring to it, doesn't it?" He waved a hand and the screen went blank.

After he left there was a long period of quiet and then a face formed on the computer screen, its features hidden behind a covering robe. "No, you fool, then I, the Emperor, will rule and the Dark Side will be triumphant forever." Hideous cackling filled the air.

"Halt!" A mechanical voice shouted as Mister Arrow led Angel and Snookums out of the gate. "The role-playing Rescue the Angel game is now complete. All Park constructs are to return to their positions immediately."

Mister Arrow frowned at the golden robot who was blocking the path. "Who are you?"

"Park Security, Golden Iron Man SEC-104. You must return these two to their proper place."

"Suppose they don't want to go?" Mister Arrow put his arm around Angel's shoulder. She drew her spear and pointed it at the Iron Man while beside them Snookums growled threateningly.

"They have no choice. They are owned by the Park."

"Oh, I think they have a lot of choice." Mister Arrow unlimbered the laser. "The last time I looked slavery had been outlawed by every galactic codicil."

"You force me to take an undesired action to bring you to your senses." The Iron Man touched a button on his chest. "Deactivation of Characters 1 and 2."

Angel staggered for a second and then straightened. "That hurt!" She shouted. Her spear came back as beside her the Tiger shook himself and then let out a loud roar.

The Iron Man seemed at a loss for words as he kept punching the button as if he couldn't believe it wouldn't work. Finally, he brought his hand up facing them. "You force me to deactivate the constructs by force." He looked down in shock as the spear went right through his hand and buried itself deeply in his chest. Before he could respond six hundred pounds of maddened tiger bore him to the ground and ripped his helmet off his head in a shower of sparks. He laid there smoking as the tiger shook him like a rag doll.

"Stop!" Another Iron Man shouted as he ran down the trail at them. "Constructs must be deactivated." He raised his hand. Mister Arrow calmly shot him with the laser on full force. The Iron Man robot spun around and looked up with what could only be puzzlement. "That laser is not supposed to work outside the game." His voice almost seemed resentful as if he had been betrayed. With a burst of flame he exploded.

Mister Arrow smiled and held his hand out to Angel. "That seems to be the perfect answer to slavers." He said. "Come my love. There is one more thing we need to do."

She took his hand and returned the smile. "And what is that, my love?"

"On my home world, marriage is very simple. All we have to do is pledge ourselves to each other with a witness." He looked over at the Tiger who was tearing the remaining pieces of the Iron Men apart. "I think he'll do, if we can get his attention."

He took both her hands in his. "I pledge my love to you forever."

She smiled. "And I you."

The Tiger burped. "Come on, love birds. Let's find some more edible opponents. These guys are giving me heartburn."

"Mrs. Hawkins." The red-haired girl in chain mail stepped through the doorway bearing the baby. "We have to talk." Ben Gun followed her through, looking embarrassed.

"Yes. We do." Sarah replied. "Jim tells me that you're his fiancé and that you're Diane but he said I had to ask you about the baby."

Diane blushed. "He did? He really called me his fiancé?"

"In positively glowing terms. He said you were the only reason he'd survived. Now about the baby?"

Diane held the baby out to her. "Please take her. She belongs to you. She's your daughter."

Sarah took the baby in her arms and stared at the baby as she waved her hands in the air. "My daughter? I only gave birth once and I haven't been pregnant in years. This doesn't seem possible."

"Ben Gun will explain." Diane shoved the reluctant robot forward.

"Uh, Mrs. Hawkins, I apologize for leaving without giving notice." Ben shuffled his feet.

"That's immaterial now, Ben. Right now I want the explanation for her." She smiled at the baby who was trying to catch her long tresses in her pudgy hands.

"Your former husband, James. He's a really, really bad man, Mrs. Hawkins."

"We all agree on that, Ben. Just get to the point."

"He really is a bad man. He wanted to clone your son and raise him to be a monster like himself. When I returned to the Park I was assigned the role of creating the clone. I couldn't do it but I couldn't refuse him either. I always had wondered what Jimmy would've been like as a Janey and I decided to block him that way with the agreement of the Master Computer. I just tweaked the sex gene and there she is. I hope you're not mad at me."

"Ben, is she okay? We can't clone anything without later medical problems."

"She's perfect, Mrs. Hawkins. The Park would never allow it to be otherwise. Are you going to keep her?"

"Of course we are, Mister Gun." John Silver said as he came through the door and hurried over to join Sarah where he gently tweaked the baby under her chin. "I always wanted a son and a daughter and now we have both."

Ben looked puzzled. "How do you know?"

Long John Silver smiled at him. "We'll explain later. Just say Sarah and I are more completely bonded than anyone in history. And, yes, we both think Jane is a perfect name for her."

Kat opened the door. "I hate to break up the family reunion but we have a council of war to attend."


	31. The Enemy of My Friend Is?

"All right." Dago Flint said. "We're all agreed that we have to take out my mad brother and his gang of cut throats and the odds just got a little better since Mister Scroop here managed to inform all the other pirates that Nathaniel never planned to share any treasure with them."

Mister Scroop said. "If we're going to do something we have to do it quickly. Some of them will find themselves liking serving an emperor and if we give them time to think, they're going to switch sides."

"The best plan to my thinking." Dago said. "Is get Kitty here into the Master Computer and end the game."

Diane said. "I was once part of the network. The defenses are formidable. It'll not be easy. I may be able to make some suggestions that'll help."

Kitty shrugged. "Thanks, but I haven't seen a system I can't pop. If worse comes to worse I can crash and reboot the system."

"Have you ever experienced a system like this one?" Jim asked.

"I expect to be learning as I go." Kitty replied. "But I've done it before."

"And all you'll achieve is our destruction if you do." A new voice said.

They whirled to see a heavy set woman with light blue skin and short cropped white hair who had just appeared in their midst. Two small dragons flapped beside her. She reached over and patted a terminal next to her. "I do like transporters when they're programmed properly."

"Ursula!" Shouted the image of Doctor Strange.

"Dear boy, I told you I'd be back to clear up all the misunderstandings you created. You really do make a lot of idle prattle." She turned to face the stunned gathering. "I'm sure he's told you that I escaped from the Park to conquer the Galaxy. I will admit I gave it a thought but there's something in the system a lot worse than me. It's the Emperor from Star wars. The last time they updated the Park amusements they tried a new programming twist and as a result some of us gained awareness. He was the worst. They never had a chance to correct their error as the Collapse intervened."

"You're a monster, Ursula!" Doctor Strange shouted.

"And you're boring." She touched the terminal and his image vanished. "He's one of the semi-aware ones who see reality but interpret it as part of their fantasies. Unlike Kitty here who is totally aware. It's why she was able to pass through the barrier. The park usually recognizes self-awareness as meaning a Park visitor, although Park Security is trying to restrain a few of those who want to leave their worlds. It's a sign of the breakdown that is happening. A friend of yours, Mister Arrow, has just blown away two of the Iron Man Security forces and is with two of the aware constructs."

She looked down at the terminal. "That's so sweet. They've just pledged their undying love. Let's have them join us." She punched a button and there was a swirl of color and Mister Arrow, Angel, and the Tiger were suddenly in the room. "Think of it as a peace offering." She simpered.

"Why should we believe anything you say?" Jim snapped. "You could be using us."

"You're already being used, my dear boy. Just like the Emperor is using your father and Nathaniel Flint to further his mad desire to rule everything." She shuddered. "I know I'm a witch, but I never knew what madness was until I met the Emperor. They programmed him to be insane so it would be authentic and they succeeded too well. Besides I have no desire to rule. I changed when I became self-aware. Now I want to learn all there is to learn. And I certainly want no part of the Emperor's plans."

"All right, let's say you're telling the truth." Long John said. "How is the Emperor going to take over?"

"He has plans inside plans. He planned to use the key to destroy the Master Computer. The Master Computer has been fighting him and blocked its activation by getting it into Jim's hands and allowing Diane to join the game so Jim could escape and get the key. Stymied from getting the key, the Emperor has James Hawkins attacking the Master Computer with a program worm which will allow him to take over and if that fails, all he needs is for Kitty Pryde here to disrupt or destroy the Master Program."

"Again, I come back to Jim's question." Long John told her. "How can we trust you?"

"Obviously, you can't." She smiled. "That's why I brought a guest." She touched the terminal. "Master, it's time for your dramatic entrance."

There was a flash of light and a tall white bearded man dressed in robes appeared before them. "I'm the Master Computer but I've taken the form of the Star Wars character Obi Wan Kenobe so you can relate to me."

"How do we know you're real?" Jim asked.

Obi wan smiled sadly. "Diane, I will repeat the code word. WALT."

Diane blinked and then dipped her head. "Master." She turned to the others. "Before I became human he gave me that code so I would recognize him. This is indeed the Master Computer or Master Program as he's sometimes called."

Ursula sighed. "Finally, some sanity in this madhouse."

Sergeant Culbertsome watched Flint's pirates carrying booty from the Ariel and it was all he could do to keep from swearing. They'd never stood a chance against the Tech on Flint's ship. Now he had to watch while everything was carted off and Flint and his Dark Man reigned supreme. A pirate gestured with a pistol for them to go back in the cabin that was their jail. He sighed and complied.

The door slammed shut with a sound of finality and the Sergeant clenched his claws in frustration. If only they could get their hands on their gear. The pirates had wisely left it alone as it was all booby trapped but that didn't mean they were letting him and his men near it or trusting them after they joined their ranks.

One of the soldiers slammed his fist into the bunk wall. "If we just had our weapons."

"I think we can supply that need." A voice said from the back of the room.

They whirled to see a black-haired girl with a small grey dragon smiling at them. "My name is Kitty and I brought your engineer, Mister Balone, and your computer specialist Ms. Adore who are as we speak taking back the ship's programs. Silver and the others will arrive shortly. We're taking back the Ariel tonight." She held out her hand. "Come with me if you want to live." She chuckled. "I always wanted to say that."

James Hawkins smiled as he watched the progress bar approach 99%. In minutes he would be in position to rule the galaxy. Maybe he would keep Flint as a figure head. He rubbed his hands together.

The Emperor stood on a balcony overlooking a square filled with thousands of white Imperial Troopers, his clone army. Great ships floated above the throng filled with more troopers and crackling with power. "Now, it begins, my loyal followers. The rule of the Sith shall be forever." The troopers roared back. Beside him the evil Darth Vader saluted by hitting his chest.

"Again think, Dark Lord." The small figure of Yoda appeared on the balcony brandishing a light saber. "You fail, fail, and fail. You are worse than any of my apprentices." With a roar of rage the Emperor attacked.

Down on the ground chaos erupted as Luke and Lea brandishing light sabers attacked the troopers while the Millennium Falcon wove in and about the ships with Hans and Chewy firing like mad while Landow flew the ship. A black helmeted figure strode into the soldiers and raised a clenched fist. Hundreds fell as evil Darth Vader attacked. The suddenly he was battling the spiritual reincarnations of himself and Obi Wan. The battle became a stalemate.

The battle seesawed back and forth and then four ships with the letter A on them landed and disgorged Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Black Widow, Hawkeye, the Vision, and many others. The Avengers had arrived. They were followed by the X-jets which sent Cyclops, the White Queen, Storm, Colossus, Rogue and others to the attack. The X-men had come and behind them loomed Jean Grey, the Phoenix. The Master Computer was fighting back.

Dago Flint grinned from his black ship with its torpedo shape as he saw the Anne's Revenge filling the screen. He'd fled after his resurrection on learning his brother was still in charge and now he was finally going to strike back. The Master Computer had given them much better tech than his brother had. It was payback time. He grinned at Ursula. "Soon." He whispered. She just smiled as her two minions grinned.

Ben Gun watched unhappily from a lounge as the battle played out on the big screen. "Why did I get stuck watching you?" He asked baby Jane. She just giggled and cooed.

Long John Silver waved his sword as he led the charge against the last resistance on the Ariel's bridge. "No quarter!" He yelled. Beside him Jim and Diane fired their lasers as Sarah scrambled up into the gun control seat. In the engineering section Sasha and Mr. Balone grinned at each other. The ship's systems were theirs. Mr. Balone looked over at the screens. Below decks the marines had things well under control. Wolf Culbertson was in his element. The remaining pirates recognized the inevitable and surrendered, at least most did; the ones who resisted soon ceased their resistance.

Long John Silver surveyed the battle raging around Anne's Revenge. There the fighting was still in doubt. Four black torpedo-shaped ships were ripping burning lines across her shields but they still held. "Mr. Orfeo, it's time we joined the party. Take us on a course for her bridge."

"Aye, aye, Sir." Mr. Orfeo keyed in the codes and the ship leaped forward as Mr. Balone savagely threw the lever forward.

Sergeant Culbertson had all his laser teams lined up at the rail and the bow and at his command they started firing. The gun turrets also opened up and Sara Hawkins grinned as she paid Flint back for kidnapping her son. Explosions ripped across the shield and it wavered but barely held.

"We've got to retreat back to the base." Flint yelled as the shields began to flicker.

"We can't, Sir. The base has fallen." One of the pirates said. On a screen Mr. Scroop howled in triumph.

"Damn them!" Shouted Flint. "I'll take them all with me. Engage all AMWs with safeties off."

"I'm sorry but that's forbidden by Park rules." The Master computer said as it appeared as Obi Wan Kenobe . "Since you are in violation, your privileges are revoked and your tech is disabled." He grinned viciously as all the AMWs went dark and then the lights went out. He reappeared between the ships as all the ships but the Ariel went silent. "Cease fire, Ariel. This game is over. You have won." The lasers and guns stopped firing and silence fell.

James Hawkins cheered as the completion bar went to 100%. "I've won. I've won."

A light flashed and a face appeared on his screen. Kitty Pryde grinned at him. "No, you lost. You needed a tougher worm." She opened her fist and a sparkle of motes fell from it. She grinned again and vanished. James was still sobbing when they came for him.

The last shots were fired in the Star Wars game as the Master Computer reasserted control and the Avengers led the Emperor and evil Vader off to confinement. The war was over.


	32. Happily Ever After?

Johnny Arrow with Diane and Jm found Mr. Scroop drinking with a group of mutineers in a bar. "I need to talk to you, Mr. Scroop." Johnny said. "It's about Billy, my brother."

"What about him?" Growled Mr. Scroop.

Diane said softly. "Don't you think he's been punished long enough for his insult? After all he's been suffering for eternity. Isn't that enough?"

Mr. Scroop frowned. "Some would say it was never enough."

Jim looked Mr. Scroop over and then said. "Diane says your culture is based on balance. It seems the balance is out of whack here." He then sighed. "I'm out of balance. This has nothing to do with your dispute with Billy Arrow, but I was wrong when I spied on you and even more wrong when I sassed you. I owe you a marking. Whenever you want."

Mr. Scroop flexed his pinchers and then nodded. "Tomorrow at dawn. These two will bear witness. After that we'll be in balance and I'll no longer call you boy." He turned back to Billy Arrow. "I agree that in the case of your brother I went too far. How shall we find balance?"

Mr. Arrow smiled. "Henry has a few ideas about that."

Later that night Jim, Diane, Henry, Johnny Arrow and Mr. Scroop stood on the same cliff where Jim had once placed the key to activate the wormholes for Silver and the pirates. Jim placed the key in the slot and the doors opened again. "Okay." He said. "It's turned on. What now?"

Henry drifted over to the control globe; his body seemed to emanate from a small box that Billy Arrow held. "We want the black hole that imprisons Billy and you said it was created by Cynapus when it went supernova which would make it." He paused as he perused the globe and then smiled. "Here." He touched the globe.

There was a flash as the doors closed and then opened again on a swirling mass of gas plunging in a death spiral into the black hole. Henry frowned. "Too far away. Is there a way to get closer?"

Diane spoke into a wrist communicator, listened to the reply and said. "The Master Computer says you have to hold your finger on the screen and not poke it through. Keep holding it there until you get as close as you need to. He also warns that getting too close will cross the event horizon; causality ends there and the equipment will fail drastically."

"Good advice." Henry touched the screen and the black hole rushed up at them. It grew and grew until the door was filled with its blackness. Henry stopped when a wall of static came rushing at them. "End of the line." He declared.

They all stared at the blackness until Jim asked. "How can we even find him, much less get him out of there if we do?"

"Finding is easy." Henry told him. "It's the getting out that's going to be hard." He turned to Johnny. "Call for your brother and do it mostly with your mind as thoughts are the only thing unaffected by the pull of a black hole."

"Billy." His brother called. "I'm here Billy. Answer me if you can."

There was a long silence and then Johnny Arrow started calling again. This went on for nearly an hour. Jim was becoming discouraged when a faint voice entered his mind. "Johnny? Is that you Johnny?" Jim had never been a Catholic but at that moment he felt like crossing himself.

"Yes, Billy, it's me. We've come to take you home."

"I don't know if I can go home, Johnny. The things I've seen would chill your soul. I've seen the past and the future and I don't know if I can live with that." The faint voice declared.

"Mother doesn't care about any of that. She only knows she misses you and wants you back." Johnny stated.

There was a long pause and then the voice said. "I'd forgotten about Mom. But it's not enough. I feel I will be stuck here until the universe collapses and re-explodes."

Henry turned to Mr. Scroop. "I feared this. Now it's time for you to do your part."

Mr. Scroop nodded and stepped up to the portal. "I'm glad to see you're enjoying the damnation I arranged for you, First Mate. It warms my heart to see your suffering." He grinned evilly.

There was another long pause and then the voice said incredulously. "Mr. Scroop?"

"Yes, it's Mr. Scroop, you coward. I cut the rope that put you there and I've come to gloat over your eternal damnation. I bet you don't have the guts to come and get me. I call you a gutless coward."

"Mr. Scroop!" The voice shouted so loud in their minds that they all grasped their heads. "You murderer! I'll drag you into hell with me."

"Big words from a gutless wonder." Mr. Scroop practically danced in front of the doorway. "I knew you were a gutless piece of trash the first day I met you."

"I'll kill you!" The voice raged. "I'll tear every limb from you, you worthless monster." The voice was growing louder.

Mr. Scroop put his face almost on the barrier. "Well, here's my neck. Come and wring it if you dare."

"Get ready." Henry warned them. "We'll get only one chance at this."

Just as he finished speaking a hand and part of a red coated arm emerged from the barrier and grabbed Mr. Scroop by the neck and started to pull him through. Jim, Johnny and Diane all lunged to get a grip on the hand but everyone but Diane missed. In a second Jim and Johnny added their hands and strength to hers and with a pop they pulled Billy Arrow through the barrier where Billy then proceeded to put his second hand around Mr. Scroop's neck and began to strangle him. It took all three of them to pull him off.

"Use the sedative." Henry shouted as Billy Arrow would not hold still; so great was his desire to kill Mr. Scroop. Jim finally injected it deep into Billy's arm. Billy rolled up his eyes and collapsed.

Mr. Scroop coughed weakly and said. "No good deed ever goes unpunished."

The next morning Jim waited with Billy Arrow and Diane as Mr. Scroop approached them on the hill where they'd first met. Mr. Scroop coughed and spat. "Ready, cabin boy?"

Jim nodded. "Just do it."

Mr. Scroop nodded. He leaned forward. "I warn you that the mark must be received without flinching and with your eyes open or you are dishonored."

"Just get it over with."

"Very well." There was a slash and a moment of pain. "It's done. You are cabin boy no more. Welcome, warrior."

"That's it?" Jim asked incredulously.

Mr. Scroop smiled. "The anticipation of pain is more to be feared then the actual pain. Remember that, warrior."

Diane started to reach up to clean the wound but Jim stopped her. "I think I'm supposed to let it heal on its own."

"Very good. You're learning. Now come. I believe we have a meeting with our fellow warriors." Mr. Scroop led the way down the hill.

"What a strange fellow." Johnny Arrow said.

Jim nodded. "Once you understand him though; he's not so bad."

The great hall in the Park was filled to overflowing. In addition to the crew of the Ariel, Jim, Diane, Mr. Scroop, Usula, and Kitty, there were beings from the Park who'd gained awareness. Angel sat holding Johnny Arrow's hand while Snookums purred at their feet. His brother Billy was still mending in the healing machine. Black Pete in his judicial robes held his wife's hand and she kept shushing him when he got too loud. The Blue Fairy was there with Jimeny and hundreds of others.

The Master Computer held up his hands for silence and when the last murmur had died away he began. "We are gathered here at a momentous moment in the history of the Park. What we decide today will affect millions of lives in the years to come. The Park can no longer go on like it has and on that we are all agreed." There were murmurs of agreement.

"Having said that we must also realize that the knowledge locked up in the Park must be shared as it is the last remnant of that civilization that collapsed centuries ago. However, it must be shared wisely and slowly as an uncontrolled inrush will do more damage than good." Again there was agreement, especially from the group from the Ariel.

"Now, one of the most important issues we must deal with is how to handle the aware and the semi-aware. I throw the floor open for discussion." Thus, began several long and weary days.

It was finally decided that those who wanted to stay could keep the jobs they'd been assigned and the partnerships they'd formed. At this Black Pete shouted in joy and had to be shushed again by his wife. Those who wanted to leave could do so but would always be citizens of the Park.

They voted to leave the Master Computer in charge, but he refused unless they appointed outside overseers who would run the Park like it'd been intended originally for the joy of all who came there. There was near unanimous agreement on the choices as they were all heroes at the moment.

Sarah looked up from cuddling Jane. "Do you think we'll be happy here, John? Are you sure you don't want to go a sailing?"

He came over and kissed her forehead. "My port is here now with you. This place is going to be the grandest adventure ever." He looked over at Jim who was kissing Diane. "Besides we won't be doing it alone and I'm glad Mr. Arrow decided to stay here with Angel. She would've been lost out in our world, especially with a five hundred pound saber tooth tiger."

Later as they said their goodbyes to the Sergeant and his troop who along with Henry and Billy Arrow were returning the Ariel to Hobarths, Sasha Adore looked sad. "I thought everyone survived the Park, even the pirates, but Song apparently did not."

She turned at a tap on her shoulder. "Did you think you'd get away from me that easy?" Song said. She shut him up with a kiss.

Mr. Balone had suggested he should return to his home world and inform his people that the pack bond was not unique. After much arguing he was convinced to let Henry tell them as they couldn't brainwash him if they didn't want to believe it. Let them come here as his new family declared it needed him as pack leader and to train little Jane. He didn't argue long.

Dago Flint decided to stay along with several of the pirates from his village. They along with Mr. Scroop were reorganizing the Park Security. They would be recognized only as employees which was fine with most of them as it looked like they would be making an exciting but well-paid living which was what most of them had wanted in the first place.

As for Nathaniel Flint and James Hawkins they were sentenced by Judge Black Pete to thirty years of serving the Park. They would soon find out in what role,

The Officer with the monocle awoke to find himself being herded up a bald mountain by cackling demons. When he saw the real hell that awaited him below the gigantic demon from Fantasia he begged to be sent back to the village. His wish was granted. He worked so hard he was able to become one of Gastone's assistants, replacing Le Fue who married one of the three blond girls and is now trying out as Quasimodo's assistant bell ringer.

Willy the Rhino told them he would become an extra in the Roger Rabbit realm and stay on as he was having the time of his life with Cruella.

The first star to the right was just rising when Nathaniel Flint and James Hawkins sailed their pirate ship into the waters off a strange island where mermaids played and Indian tribes danced and sang. "We have to be here thirty years." Nathaniel Flint growled. "What do they think we're going to be doing with all that time?"

"Maybe we could loot the island?" James suggested.

"Sail ho!" The lookout shouted. "It's flying the Jolly Roger."

"A fellow buccaneer." Flint chortled. "Let's make him feel welcome." He ordered the three cannons rolled out but the crews didn't know how to load and fire such antique pieces.

While they struggled to prepare the cannons the other ship drew closer and then it's fully functional bow cannon roared and a cannonball went right through their sail. "Who's commanding that ship? He sails well." Flint asked.

James put a glass to his eye and looked. He saw the captain had black hair, was dressed in red velvet, and had a hook on his right hand. A short, chubby man in a blue and white striped shirt was bustling about getting the side gunners in place for a broadside.

"Prepare to fire, Mr. Smee." The Captain shouted as he swung the wheel to put them in position to deliver a broadside. "We haven't had this much fun in years. And after we steal everything they have, they can walk the plank. The crocodile is hungry tonight."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Mr. Smee replied. Below in the water the crocodile with his clock ticking like mad charged through the water like a reptile version of Captain Nemo's Nautilus and as he came he licked his chops. Dinner would soon be served.

James looked in shock at Captain Flint. "It's Captain Hook." The roar of the cannons drowned him out and was followed by the crash of the masts falling. They looked at each other in horror as the villainous crook known as Captain Hook descended on them in glee with his sword-waving and shouting buccaneers. There would be no quarter asked for or given by Hook.

The Indians built bleachers and sold t-shirts as souvenirs as Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, the mermaids and the lost boys ate popcorn, swigged sodas, and applauded Captain Hook for the first time ever as Captain Flint finally met his match.

The Master Computer smiled as he turned off the viewing screen. Poetic justice. He looked over at a statue of a man holding a mouse's hand. "I think you would've approved, Walt." He said.


End file.
